Catch-22
by M14Mouse
Summary: Yu knew the game was rigged. He didn't know the players yet but he knew. Now, he has a choice. To be an observer of a rigged game or do something that could effect the entire outcome. One thing for sure…he was no observer.
1. The Start

Catch-22: The Start

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu knew the game was rigged. He didn't know the players yet but he knew. Now, he has a choice. To be an observer of a rigged game or do something that could effect the entire outcome. One thing for sure…he was no observer.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story is un-beta.

If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes,

and the quitting time.-Chinese Proverb

 _Gambler…can you hear me? The shadows are coming from the left corridor and approaching fast._

 _I can see them now, Oracle. The others?_

 _They are safe. They are just ahead of you and heading toward the exit._

 _Good._

 _I swear…between you and Joker, you two are going to give me a heart attack. I don't think that I can take it._

 _Why? I have to keep you on your toes, Oracle._

 _You are a terrible person, support buddy. Just terrible. I don't know why I hang out with me._

 _I know why. I don't complaint about your anime._

 _Hush you. But on that note, you are in trouble when you get back. Mona and Queen have some very choice words to say to you. I think that Skull is kind of excited. It is your turn to get yell at for once._

 _I know._

It was funny. In the past, people have told him the opposite. They would say that he was such a good and polite young man.

He snorted.

As soon as he hit the corridor, he saw the shadows. Lucky for him, the shadows didn't see him. He drew his cane from his side and attack. The longer that he fought along the thieves, the more that he wished for his sword back. He was quick to realize that this world didn't see him that way.

In this world, he was as a gambler. The Master of cards and dice. The reader of body language and non-verbal cues. He was always one step from a wonderful win or a terrible lose.

He still doesn't know how he felt about that.

He took the metal knob of his cane and rammed into the shadow's mask. It screamed for a moment before it crumbled into dust with the force of his blow. His hands slipped into his pocket and pulled out a pair of dice. He rolled it toward the next shadow. His eyes closed before the dice finished rolling. He knew the results could disastrous if he left them open.

 _What are you going to roll today? A 2…a 5…maybe you are looking for lucky number 12. You are hoping for lady luck to share her fortune, boy._

 _This has nothing to do with this luck._

His persona's voice laughed.

 _No, it isn't. You think that I haven't notice your tricks. You have learned well. You are truly living up to your name sake._

He heard the distant sound of thunder. His fingertips ached and twitched. He tasted smoke and ash in his month.

 _Easy, Izanagi, easy. Soon. I will take off this mask and we can tear them apart._

The sound of his dice exploding sounded like an agreeable answer from Izanagi to him.

-One Year Ago-

Yu was beginning to see a trend here.

His journeys seemed begin and end with trains. He walked up the stairs from the train station to be greeted by rain.

He did wish the weather was a little better. He watched the people open up their umbrellas or ran for cover.

 _You will pose as a college student. You will attend Aoyama Gakuin University in Shibuya. This will allow us to look these mental shutdowns without your presence to cause any alarm._

 _Finally making me finish my schooling, Mitsuru-san?_

 _No one that works for the Shadow Operatives without the proper education, Yu-san!_

He almost laughed at the expression on Mitsuru-san's face. Like his parents and his uncle, she was very insisted on him finishing his education.

 _You still believe that these breakdowns have to do with the Apathy Syndrome?_

 _It may. The effects sound the same but…._

 _It has never happened like that before._

From their research, the mental shutdownswere different but there were common threads between the two. It was enough to bother everyone in the group. He wished that they had another chance to sit down before the reports of shadows attacks cause them to travel across the globe.

Mitsuru-san was in Kisumu.

Naoto was in London.

Aigis-san was in the States. He wanted to say Washington DC but he thought that she was in New York now.

Some of the other members he wasn't quite sure where they were at.

 _Keep your head down and your eyes open._

 _Report everything you see._

 _Most of all, make sure that you are ready for anything._

He felt his blade pressed against his side. He heard sound of thunder in the air. He felt the familiar presence of Izanagi humming in his head. He sighed as he opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain.

He was ready.

It was time to get to settled then…get to work.

End of The Start

A/N: I have been wanting to write this fic for awhile now because as much as I love Persona 5. (Still love 4 more...sorry.) Some things bother the crap out of me a lot. After my second play-through, I decided to hell with my other projects and start writing this one. I have a lot of surprises in store and I am excited. One thing, I will answer is this: Yu isn't using Izanagi as his mask. There are reasons...some will be answer in the next chapter and some much later. So, you can go ahead and try to figure it out but I am not telling...yet. Anyway, read and review if you wish.


	2. The Rules

Catch-22: The Rules

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu knew the Velvet room and he knew that this wasn't the Velvet room at all.

Blackjack is very scientific. There's always a right answer and a wrong answer. Do you take a card, increase your bet, bet big or bet small. There's absolutely a right and wrong answer.

-Charlie Ergen

 _God damn it, Gambler. I am going to have Dad feed you terrible curry! There will be terrible coffee to go along with it and…_

Yu wasn't going to lie. He kind tuned her. He had done the same thing to Rise from time to time while in the tv world. Their constant yelling kind of drove him nuts and gave him a headache. Sometimes, he had to focus on the task at hand. Quickly, he turned into an empty hallway as he heard the footsteps behind him. He wasn't built for speed like some of the others. He needed a place to blend in for a moment.

 _Yell at me later. Is there any games going on in any of the rooms?_

 _Uhh…yes…Game of blackjack on the third table to your right once you get to the main hall. What are you doing?_

Once he made it to the main hall, his eyes darted around for a moment then settled on a jacket sitting on a stool near one of the bars. That should work. He stopped running and turned his pace into a brisk walk. First thing, he learned…walk, don't run.

With ease, he took off his hat, glasses, and jacket. He switched out the brown jacket on the chair with his gear. He moved toward the blackjack table that Oracle was telling him about.

He slipped into a chair next to older gentleman. He glanced over at the players at the table. It told him all he needed to know. These players have been playing for a long time. New players or "tourists" are often excitable bunch. From his persona's point of view, they can help or hind a good game. He placed his chips on the table and rose his hand to indicate to the dealer that he wanted in on the game.

The dealer nodded her head before she started to pass out the cards.

He picked up cards from the table and did a quick glance. This wasn't really important. He was paying more attention to the police and guards running around. Few of them brushed pass the table. There were some guards by the entrance but they were no longer covering it like locusts…since they caught Joker. They were probably searching some other areas for any other thieves. God, he hoped that their plan worked.

The other players were throwing down cards and chips. He should be really paying attention to his hand. He glanced back down.

Not a bad hand.

18.

He shook his head no when the dealer asked him if he wanted another card.

 _Not going to press your luck?_

There is no point. This wasn't the main objective here.

 _You lose hand to win a hand._

He heard the men groaned slightly as they lost. He glanced at the dealer's hand.

A 20.

Of course, the dealer was going to win. He grinned a little at the dealer and the other gentlemen at the table as he got up. He went walked back to his gear and slipped off the borrowed jacket. He slipped back his attire and walked toward the one of the side exits. No doubt covered by guards but he had a plan for that too.

 _Smooth moves, man._

He grinned a little at Skull's voice.

 _He does have better moves than you when it comes to well….everything._

 _HEY!_

He smiled. Those two…

He found the exit that he wanted to use. Of course, there was a guard standing there. He pulled out his deck of cards out of his pants pocket.

He shuffled the cards in his hands and picked the first card on top. He heard his persona's laughter echo through his head.

It would do.

He slipped the other cards back into his pocket. He got up from behind his hiding spot just around the corner. With confidence, he approached the shadow guard. The guard turned toward him.

"Huh?" The guard said as it finally spotted him.

He mumbled the spell under his breath. Then he reached over and touch the card on the shadow's forehead. The effect was instantaneous.

He watched as the guard's expression turned to confusion.

"SIR…I saw them! The thieves…they were running that way," He said in a false panic as he pointed in the opposite direction where he was going.

"Right…Right…thank you…." The confused guard said as he ran the direction that he pointed.

He waited for a moment to approach to the door. He wanted to make sure that the guard was gone. He walked toward the exit and opened the door. He walked out into the main path near the main entrance. Police and shadows were running pass him. They pay no attention to him. Finally after he was far enough away, he glanced over the shoulder. It was still a mess with police and guards running about the entrance. People were huddling around the exit. He shook his head for a moment. Even shadows wanted to see the action. He turned away and made his way toward the meeting point.

Then he heard the sound of a clicking gun behind him. He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder.

"Crow."

"Gambler"

-P4P5P4-

He looked around at his new apartment. He set his bags near the door and started to look around.

It was nice. Although, it did scream Mitsuru-san's design choices. The floors were covered in black title. The kitchen counters were made of white granite couple with brand new appliances. The walls were white and so was the furniture. He did like the windows…he had a view of the entire city.

He shrugged his shoulders. It didn't really matter. For right now, it was home.

After, he was done, he needed to go shopping. As much as he respected Mitsuru-san, there was no telling what she brought. Much like Chie and Rise, she couldn't really cook. It was an interesting experience when they decided that it will be a good idea to cook a meal for their parties and meet-ups.

It always ended….badly. His stomach twitched at the memory.

Well…on the positive, no one died.

Oh, he also needed to call his friends and his uncle and cousin to tell that he made it. They are probably planning ways to hang out since he will be home for a while. He looked forward that. He missed his family and friends dearly.

Second, he needed to explore his apartment and the area around it.

He yawned.

First off, he needed a nap. Then he going down to the convenience store to pick up some dinner or at least some snacks. He walked over to the sofa and took a seat. He yawned again as he settled into the sofa.

He stared at buildings through the windows as he drifted off to sleep.

He felt a jolt in his body that woke him up.

He blinked awake and frowned. There was a fog in the air. This place felt…. strange. He knew and yet, he didn't know it. He sat up to realize that he was on a bed now. He looked around to see a small light in distance. Besides that, there was no definition to the room. It was endless with darkness and fog.

Instantly, his hand went for his sword. He cursed himself when he found that it wasn't there. He did feel Izanagi close at hand. That gave him some sort of comfort because this place wasn't the Velvet Room at all.

He heard a chuckle in the air. He eyed the small light in front of him. Slowly, he got up from the bed and walked toward it. Slowly, the fog began to disappear to reveal Igor sitting at the desk with a desk's light. He could make out some papers near the corner. There was a chair in front of him and desk.

"Welcome, have a seat." Igor said.

His head titled slightly.

"No thank you," He said as he looked around the "room." It wasn't endless as he thought. Were those bars that he could see?

His response seemed to caught Igor off guard.

"It would be proper to have a conversation sitting down."

"I would but you aren't Igor."

The fake Igor blinked then laughed.

"Oh, how could you tell?"

"For one…you don't sound like him at all. Second, we never met anywhere but my Velvet Room. Third, he always has an attendant around. Fourth, his nose is bigger," He said with a shrug.

"May…may…you are a clever one. Igor did well to choose you." The fake Igor said.

"So, who are you?"

"I cannot reveal that information. You see…Igor and I have decided to play a game. All of the new players haven't arrived yet but soon."

That sounded like Igor. That is why they had to stop playing poker and blackjack when they met. He couldn't stop playing his games.

"If I am not a player, why bring me here?"

"I feel that your presence might disrupt our little game. You do have the power to change events at all."

His eyes narrowed. He felt Izanagi close at hand. One crashed of a card…he would be here.

The fake Igor rose his hand.

"Be at ease. I do not wish to harm you. In fact, I find you…interesting. That is why I want to play a game with you."

"What is it?" He asked.

"The game is simple. There have been oncoming events that have caught your attention. Of course, I can imagine that you want to find the real Igor. So, I will allow you to stay and be an observer of these events. Maybe one side will find him…maybe not. That is one choice," Fake Igor said.

"The other?"

"Or I will allow you to become a player. You are bound by the rules that I have set for them as well. If…and when you met those other players, you can't speak of the events that happened here."

"There is a catch."

The fake chuckled. Oh, yes, there was a catch.

"Those are the general rules of our little game. We will discuss more if you agree to play."

"If I refuse, what happens?"

"Then I will remove you from the playing field."

Izanagi groaned. In the distance, he heard the sound of thunder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw lightening. The false Igor flinched a little.

"Of course, no harm will come to you if you do say no," The fake said with a nod.

"Give me 24 hours to think it over."

"Very well. I hope that we come to an agreement. Enjoy the rest of your nap."

The false Igor's laughter echo through his head as his eyes snapped open.

End of the Rules

Next Chapter: The Field of Play

A/N: Wow...thank you guys for the support! It has been wonderful. First, I am sorry that it took so long. Chapter 4 was link to Chapter 2 and I wanted to get both chapters right. Although, I have a feeling that I am going to continue mess with chapter 4 until I post it. Second, I am looking for a beta reader. I am going to need someone bounce ideas off of and edit some of my tenses. The little hamster of a muse wants to go in a million different directions and I really need to get a handle on this before it drives me nuts. But there are requirements.

1) Leave your ship at the door. I had trouble in the past with this. If you can't, then this story isn't for you.  
2) Time. I am looking for 1 to 2 week turn around per a chapter. I am not looking for months later then get a response (again, past experience made this normal not the exception and one of the main reasons that I don't use beta readers). I don't think that is fair to me or my readers.  
3) PM me if you are interested.  
4) Yu's new persona is fun to write and I already have a nickname for him in my head.  
5) Again thank you for your support and read and review if you wish.


	3. The Field of Play

Catch-22: The Field of Play

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu has a gun to his back and one chance.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

-Seneca

Yu heard the sound of a clicking gun behind him. He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder.

"Crow."

"Gambler"

He hummed softly as he turned back around. His hand twisted around the knob of his cane and take in the landscape before him. It was a strange mix of reality and metaverse. It was strange. It was pretty in its own way. The lights from casino offered a nice contract from the surrounding gray buildings.

He almost laughed. Yusuke would enjoy his artistic point of view.

"I must say…your escape was quite daring…not as much as Joker's but it still was impressive."

"Thank you."

"Of course, not much of escape since I caught you," Akechi said.

"Who said that I was caught?"

Akechi laughed.

"Have a card up your sleeve?"

"Possible."

Akechi sighed softly.

"I have no idea if you are telling the truth or not. You are a tricky one to read. Truly your codename. It is almost pity that I have to kill you. Much like Joker, I like you. I have come to value our friendship. Because of that friendship, I feel that I should be the one to pull the trigger."

"And yet…you haven't."

"I am trying to figure what you are planning. You remain behind on purpose. I just don't get you. I don't understand why."

He heard the frustration in Akechi's voice.

It really isn't that hard to understand. He is a college student and a member of an organization that fights shadows. He goes inside tvs on a regular basics. He fought in some life or death tournaments with other persona users and let's not forget the dancing incident.

In fact, let's not talk about the dancing incident. None of his personas has let him forget it either.

Despite that, a lot of good have come from those events. The friends that he had made, the places…the very strange places that he has been but…he lost normal a long time.

"Actually, I get that a lot."

"…And that annoys me a great deal."

"And I get that a lot too."

"You…I….It is almost funny. I have a gun to back of your head. In few moments, I am going to pull the trigger and end your life. We are talking over the most insignificant things."

"Just like old times, huh?"

"I suppose so," Akechi said with a snort.

"If you wish but I think that it would be a waste of a bullet. I touched one of my cards before I exit the building. Just to be safe. You can do it if it makes you feel better but it would draw some unwanted attention. So, I was thinking of an offer."

Akechi laughed.

"What could you possible offer me?!"

"I can offer you a way to take down Masayoshi Shido."

-P4P5P4-

He stared at the window and watched the sun set.

He should make some phone calls. He should call and warn the others. He wasn't sure what happened if he did try to call. He was dealing a force that was able to overtake Igor and his attendant. His thoughts turned to Margaret or Elizabeth. She might know what to do but he had no idea where the sisters were.

Although, he did catch the fake Igor flinching at the sound of thunder. There was fear there. He could feel his personas' voices rage in his head. He closed his eyes.

"Calm down."

He could feel them settle for a moment before Izanagi spoke.

 _You are thinking of taking his offer._

"He has rigged the game in his favor, Izanagi. He took Igor out. He fears us but I don't know if it is by reputation or he is afraid of thunder and lightning. I don't think for a moment that he is going to let me or any of his players walk out of this."

 _You are correct. You believe that you prevent this?_

"I can try."

 _Always a fool._

He heard the fondness in Izanagi's voice and he shook his head.

"He has his terms. I will introduce mine."

 _That is a gamble._

"It is one that I have to take."

He sighed.

"I need to think this over so more and get some food." He said as he grabbed the keys from the counter. He patted his pants to make sure that his wallet Once he made sure that the wallet was safe in his pocket. He opened the door and walked into the hallway. He locked the door behind him and headed toward the stairs.

Few minutes later, he was out of his building and looking around at his new surroundings.

It was busy as he remembered. He turned around then ran into some hard.

He stumbled back for a moment then regain his step.

"My apologies!" A male voice said.

He blinked for a moment and shook his head.

"No, it is mine. Sorry. I should have been paying attention. It has been awhile since I have been to Tokyo. I forgot how busy it is." He said.

He looked over the stranger that he nearly knocked over. He wore a light brown jacket, pants, and tie. He reminded him of a lawyer….much younger lawyer. He couldn't be older than a high schooler.

He leaned over and picked up the stranger's briefcase. He handed it back to him.

"Thank you. New here?" The stranger asked as he took his briefcase back.

"Going to school in the spring. I thought that I would come a little earlier to give myself time to adjust to the big city again."

"Really? It must be quite a shock to be back."

"A little. Just going some snacks for tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to find a grocery store."

The stranger's face brightened up.

"The store around corner has an excellent selection of snacks and meals. I have visited quite often."

He grinned a little.

"Not much of a cook?"

"I must say that I am…not a very good cook."

"After I get settled, you can come over for dinner."

The stranger blinked in confusion.

"You would invite a complete stranger to dinner?!"

He eyed the stranger and shrugged.

"Of course."

"You are quite strange."

"I get that a lot."

The stranger laughed and offered his hand. He reached out and shook it.

"My name is Goro Akechi."

"Yu Narukami."

End of The Field of Play

Next Chapter: The Stakes

A/N: I am very very sorry that it took me so long to update. Everything has been so crazy. I still don't have a beta. So, go ahead and offer away. Read and Review if you wish.

Fun Hint 1: Yu's new persona is a god.


	4. The Stakes

Catch-22: The Stakes

By: M14Mouse

Summary: The stakes are set. Somehow it still feels like a noose around his neck.

Declaimer: Don't own them. Currently, this story has no beta.

A gambler plays even when the odds are immutable and against him.

-Roger "Lou Krieger" Lubin

"I can offer you a way to take down Masayoshi Shido."

He heard a grasp.

 _Leave now, Oracle._

 _But…I don't want to leave you…_

 _NOW!_

He felt her presence leave his mind. He will apologize to Futaba-chan later but right now, he needed to focus. He didn't know what response that he would get out of Akechi with his words. Right now, there was silence expect the distant sound of police sirens and people.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of laughter.

"What give your impression that I want to do anything like that?!" Akechi said.

"You were trying too hard to hide the fact that you hate the man especially when we talked about politics."

 _Very good, boy. Very good._

"Hating a man doesn't mean that I would want to take him down."

There it was again. The bitterness and angry in Akechi's voice that he tried to hide so much.

"True. The same men guarding him during his speeches were also at your apartment. Your tone was pleasant but if looks could kill. I would guess that they would have been dead," He said with a hum.

"Very impressive. I didn't expect you to put two and two together. Does anyone else know?"

"No. I wanted to confirm first. Stop you before you do something over dramatic."

"May I ask what does that mean?"

"I speak from experience when I say angry and rage make people do stupid things. You would kill him after he was elected. When he has a taste of his goal, you wanted to be the one who take it away. Mostly, that will likely get you killed."

His persona laughed. It sounded like the rumbling of the earth in his head.

"It will not get me killed, my friend. I know him too well for that. You are correct. I plan to kill him slowly with all of the pain and suffering that he put me through but he will know. I will be the last face that he sees when he has left this land."

Akechi tried to hide it before but now….

He heard the rage, the anger, hatred in Akechi's voice but he wondered if it was sorely directed at Shinto…or himself.

 _That one is slightly unhinged._

Slightly?

 _Just be careful._

Atropos sounded worried which was strange to him.

 _Time to fold this hand, boy. That one isn't playing with a full deck._

 _Maybe._

"Why do you want to kill him so bad?"

"Because that is piece of shit is my father."

-P4P5P4-

He felt himself drifted off to sleep. He felt the familiar pull of the Velvet Room. Instead of waking up standing, he woke up in a cot. He got up from the cot and looked around. It took him a moment to realize that this room was a prison.

"I must say that your successor has an interesting view of the world," The fake Igor said from the center of the room. He was sitting at the same desk as before.

He got up from the cot and walked into the center of the room. He looked around at all of the different cells then his glance settled onto the fake Igor.

Briefly, he wondered how much that it was this fake or his successor's view.

The fake chuckled.

"Have a seat." The fake said with the wave of his hand.

He walked over and took a seat across from him.

"Have you thought about my offer?"

"I have but there will be terms."

"Speak"

"My friends and family will not be harm in anyway."

"Unless you break one of the rules."

"Which is?"

"You will not speak of me to the other players."

He nodded his head slightly but his eyes trained on Igor.

"Next, you must not call your attendant."

He frowned for a moment. Briefly, he wondered where the current attendant was. He knew Elizabeth and Margaret were searching for a way to free Minato. Theo…he wasn't quite sure where he was.

He knew that they were powerful in their own right.

That would explain why he doesn't want the other attendants around or come running. If they would find out, this fake would probably have a lot of trouble on his hands.

"What if they come in their own accord? Margaret and I talk from time to time."

Margaret and Elizabeth showed up at a little café in London when he was visiting Naoto. For an hour, he sat through their heated conversation about tea cup puppies verse tea cup piglets.

It was…. enlightening.

"Since you didn't summon them, then it isn't breaking the rules."

"Where is your attendant by the way? Have you done something to him or her?" He said coldly.

"I am in need of them. No permanent harm has come to them."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

 _He did something._

"Very well. Next."

"Next, your personas are bounded during the duration of the game."

He felt the cold rage from King Frost. He heard the distant sound of metal against the metal. He wasn't quite sure which one of his persona that was.

 _Calm down._

Lucifer's voice cut through their voices.

"Why?"

"They don't fit into our little game. My players will notice something off if you ever join the game."

It only took a moment to make his decision.

"No."

"Pardon?"

"I said no."

The fake Igor blinked as if he didn't expect that.

"By chaining up my personas, you defeat the purpose of your game. My friends would know something is wrong if suddenly I couldn't use my personas. I will not leave the tv world unprotected."

"While I hold no interest in that world, you make a very excellent point." The fake said.

The fake Igor rubbed his chin as he hummed. The more that he was in the presence of this fake, the more he realized that he did little to hide that he wasn't Igor at all.

No one would actually know that expect him and a select few.

Then the fake smiled. Igor's smile always looked creepy to him but this fake….sinister came to mind.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then you must bear a mask of my choice. You can only use that mask during the duration of our game. It should be interesting to see how or if you can adapt. Since you are so concern about the tv world, our game won't cross into that realm. So, you are free to use your personas there."

"Mask?" He said with curiosity.

"Excuse me. Persona. Of course, you will have to figure everything out. Just like before. Most of all, can you even control a persona who wasn't born from your own soul even with your powers? Of course, no harm will come to you through this persona. Can't have you break in a middle of the game. I see it will be a delightful challenge. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

 _He bound you in chains that he doesn't think that you can escape. He might as well have bounded us._

He knew. He also knew this fake wrapped a noose around his neck. Say no again. A great deal of people could be in trouble or worse…. Say yes. His powers were limited and there was this unknown persona to deal with.

He knew.

He knew his personas because they were a part of him in little ways. This unknown persona could be a parasite or a spy for this false Igor.

This was a dangerous risk to everyone around him.

Could he risk it? Was it worth the risk?

He felt something soft brush against his mind. He heard the gentle voice of Isis whisper in his ear.

 _People bring about their own undoing through their tongues. Take his bargain. We will protect you. We will soon rip out his tongue and he will regret making a bargain with us._

"Yes, we have a deal."

End of the Stakes

Next Chapter: The Buff

A/N: just got more interesting, didn't it? Anyway, I am totally glad that you guys are enjoying it. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys make me feel so much better about jumping into this rabbit hole. To answer a reviewer's comment, I wasn't sure about the past/present in the fic at first. In fact, I only plan to use for first three chapters. Well...you know about plans. Still looking for a beta and still moving alone without one. Anyway, read and review if you wish.

Fun Author's Fact: First play though of Persona 5, I pinned Akechi as the killer from the beginning which is weird since I didn't catch it in Persona 3 or 4.


	5. The Buff

Catch-22: The Buff

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu stared at the case files littering his table. He was missing something. There was some connection and something else…

If a magician makes a mistake, it's sometimes forgiven by the audience. If a gambling cheat makes a mistake, they will almost certainly lose their lives - and probably in a horrible manner. -Steve Truglia

"Why do you want to kill him so bad?"

"Because that is piece of shit is my father. He abandoned us. I was left alone. I moved from place to place but you know how that is it, my friend. You're the same as much expected your cage was covered in gold."

The hatred bleed into Akechi's voice.

 _You and Naoto expected as much._

He forced himself not to nod at Izanagi's comment. Their theory was correct. He wished that it wasn't.

"Does he know?"

"Of course not. The fool blinded by his power and puppets. It is humorous to see that he thought of me as one of his puppets. I would have cut his strings anytime. His fall will be glorious"

 _That boy is smart but a fool. He lost in his own game that he isn't paying attention to the other players at the table._

He is right in a way. He ignored some players in favor of others. He discounted them as useless or not worth his time. Dangerous mind set to have in a game like this. He may appear not to know Akechi's plan. From his research, Shinto is a smart man. He probably did know his plan or some vague hint of it. He learned the art of keeping his hands clean by letting others get their hands dirty. Akechi was willing to do it again and again to achieve his goal to point of being blinded by everything.

 _Foolish and dangerous._

"Are you sure?"

Akechi laughed.

"Of course, I do. I know that he doesn't have any knowledge of what coming for him."

"That is strange. That wasn't the impression that I got from his palace."

 _You're bluffing._

His persona sounded…shock. His job was to convicted Akechi. Joker's job was convicted Sai-san. He was going to pull every card up his sleeve out if he needed too.

"You're lying."

"You and I know that he has a palace. It is very detailed…more so than any other palaces that we have even been in. His cognitive version of you is….interesting."

Akechi didn't reply.

Silence filled the air between them. He could almost hear Akechi thinking over what he said.

"What is he like?"

"He was dressed in the same outfit on the first day that I met you. It was strange in a way. You know how all of the shadows we face were extreme version of that person. Shinto's cognitive version of you was almost normal. Beside, trying to kill me."

More silence.

"Interesting. You're ahead of the others in this little game and yet you didn't tell them. Why?"

"I have my own mission outside of the Phantoms. My goal was never to join them. Aid here and there. No more but you know how best laid plans turn out."

Partly, that was true. In the beginning, his purpose was to never join them since their mission and his were separate. At first, they didn't seem related but he wanted to be there for them. A persona user that understood what they were going through. To be a support system, when their own was lacking.

"Mine usually turn out flawless until you and the others came along. What is your mission?" Akechi spoke again.

"I have been through this before."

"Cognitive world just only came in existed two years ago….there was no way."

"Cognitive world may be new but shadows aren't."

"Explain. Who are you?"

"I am a member of Shadow Operative and our sole purpose to hunt shadows that are a threat to mankind."

-P4P5P4-

He stared at the piles of folders and papers on the desk before him. His laptop sat next to the pile. Mitsuru-san send over everything that she had on the cases.

It gave him time to think over something else beside his encounter with the fake Igor. He rubbed his chest slightly. He still felt them….but it was different.

He shook his head and looked down at cases before him.

There was a lot of information to go through but first, he had to make a phone call. He promised to call when he started to look over the cases. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contracts. He hit the familiar number then put on speaker.

He set the phone beside him and let it ring.

Few moments later, he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Did I wake you, Naoto?"

"No…no…Yu….I…"

"You were taking a nap on the paperwork again," He said in amusement.

"NO!"

She grumbled softly into the phone. He didn't say anything for a moment.

"It was the laptop."

He laughed softly.

"Is everything okay?"

He heard her sigh over the phone.

"We were wrong about correlating with Hebrew calendar."

"It was good idea at the time."

"Yes, but one of the attacks happen on a day with no link to any calendar."

"Expect maybe a personal one?"

"Perhaps but with a city fill of millions of people daily…."

He nodded.

"There is always a connection."

"Truly."

It was something that they learned from their adventures in the tv world and other worlds. No matter random anything may appear to be…there is always a connection.

"Anyway, how is your case?"

"I just started to looking it over but I think that it is politic in nature."

"Oh? I remember looking it over briefly. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Some of them have been local politicians and members of the DIET had psychotic break."

"But there have been other attacks that haven't been political in nature especially in the beginning."

"True but…just call it a gut feeling."

"Stay with that feeling especially the more you go through the case."

"Words of wise, Naoto?"

"Words of advice."

 _Ones that you need to heed._

His back straightened at the voice.

This voice wasn't one of his personas.

End of The Bluff

Next Chapter: The Gamble

A/N: Yes, Yu is totally bluffing about Shinto's palace and totally won a cookie for being right. One of the aspects that I took for the anime was his ability to totally bs people with a straight face. And I brought one of the biggest things that drove me nuts in P5 was where was Naoto? So, I explained where she was and what she is doing in the coming chapters. Don't worry...more of the P4 cast coming soon! Second, I want to thank everyone for their reviews. You guys are totally awesome with your support. Thank you from this author's happy little heart. As always...read and review if you wish.

Fun Author's fact: Hermes was originally going to be Yu's new persona but it was too much in relation to Mona's final persona. So, I decided against that.


	6. The Gamble

Catch-22: The Gamble

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Akechi put Yu's knowledge of shadows to the test.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

You don't gamble to win. You gamble so you can gamble the next day.

-Bert Ambrose

"Explain. Who are you?"

"I am a member of Shadow Operative and our sole purpose to hunt shadows that are a threat to mankind."

There was a moment of silence then he heard a soft hum.

"That actually made quite a bit of sense. From the conversations I had with the others, your knowledge on shadows is intensive. I thought that it was because the conversations that you had with those shadows."

"Honestly, I just played cards with them. They seem lonely and I had time to kill when the others explode Mementoes. It was fun and learn some interesting tidbits of information."

"Lonely?"

"Shadows may be from a sea of souls but they still do have feelings. They feel happiness, angry, and yes…a little lonely. So, I talk to them."

"I would never imagine that I would have a conversation about shadows and their feelings. They are merely good for two things. One, to make you stronger and two, to make excellent tools."

He heard the mocking tone in his voice. He remained him at Adachi especially toward the end. It made his heart ache.

It was just like before….but in a way, he was right. They can be tools. After all, they use them to navigate the worlds beyond their own. Their personas were once shadows…voices inside their head…what they should be doing…what they should have said…but he never thought of them like that. He thought of them as a part of him.

 _Oh, don't listen to him, sugar. He is just jealous that you are so awesome. No one understand us and shadows better than you._

He grinned slightly at High Pixie. In his head, he can clearly see her blowing a kiss at him.

 _Suck up._

Be nice you two.

"Then we are going to have to disagree."

"I suppose that we will. I am curious."

"About?"

"Beside the ability to wield multiple personas, Joker's ability has allowed him to gather people to him. Strength in numbers. A moth to a flame if you will. Yours? You have an ability to smooth the savage beast."

He frowned slightly. He never thought of talking to shadows as some sort of talent. They were just interesting to talk to.

 _Did he just call us beasts?_

Genbu didn't sound very pleased at all.

 _Honestly…how long do you plan to let him ramble? Talk. Talk._

 _Enough._

Izanagi's voice cut through the others.

"I am curious to see it put to the test."

Quickly, he turned around to see Akechi make a Norn appear. His hand gripped his cane and watched Akechi do something that he never seen before. He felt it. It was a dark and twisted energy that he had no words for. Akechi poured some dark energy into the shadow. He watched as the shadow's once golden skin turned black.

"My little talent is simple. I can turn any shadow psychotic…sometimes, I even break them. Very opposite of scale of your little talent. I am curious on who ability will win. Let's see if you can save this shadow, shall we?"

He took out his deck of cards as the shadow screamed toward him.

-P4P5P4-

He picked up the screaming tea kettle from the stove and set it on the serving tray. He picked up the tray and headed toward the table in the living room. He set down the tray and picked up the oven mitt. He wrapped the cloth around the tea kettle and poured the hot tea into their respected cups. He took a seat on the opposite seat from Akechi and took a cup after adding some sugar cubes. Akechi smiled at him as he added some honey and sugar to his cup.

"I want to thank you for the meal. It was quite wonderful."

"Better than the convenience store?"

"I'm afraid that you are never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"No."

Akechi laughed. He grinned slightly.

"So, a detective and student, huh? Impressive. Kind of remind me of Naoto."

Akechi blinked for a moment.

"You know Naoto Shirogane?"

His grin grew bigger and nodded. He wasn't too surprised by Akechi's almost fanboy reaction. A lot of people look up to Naoto. It was kind of funny and made him so proud. Although, it does make Naoto blush every time that he brought another story of meeting a fan.

"Yes, she is a friend of mine," He said.

"I heard that she was in London."

"She is. The cases are interesting…the weather…not so much."

"Is it as that bad?"

"Yes. She can't wait to come for the holidays just to get away from the weather. When I lived there, it was nice for about one or two days out of the month. The rest were rainy."

"Oh, how long did you live there?"

"Three months then I moved to New York…no Chicago after that."

"Moved around a lot?"

"Quite a bit."

"It must have been distorting to move from place to place."

"It is. How often did you move?"

He saw something flash across Akechi's face. It was a blink and he missed it.

"Most people said oh, how excited to see this and that place. No one asked on how confusing or lost it is to be in a new place. Learning a new set of…everything"

"No one does….do they? To answer the question, once or twice a year."

Silence between them as they slipped the tea.

"This isn't how I foresaw this night going," Akechi said.

"Neither did I," He said.

He thought it over for a moment.

"Who do you think has the best chance of getting elected?"

End of The Gamble

Next Chapter: The Draw

A/N: I re-edit a little bit of chapter 1 and chapter 2. I think that they flow a lot better and fixed names that I misspelled. I am so glad that you guys are awesome for pointing out stuff to me. Thank you, Jake for pointing out that I was misspelling Shido name. I will go back and correct when I hit chapter 3 and 4 for edits in the next two weeks. I love posting on Ao3 but editing stuff on their system is hard. To answer one of my reviewer's question, Hermes was my first impulse choice because I was obsessive with Greek mythology when I was a kid. Then there was Persona 3 and Mona's persona. So, I dropped it. In honesty, the more that I researched, the more that found that the persona didn't fit Yu at all.

Fun Author Fact: Yu's outfit is based on the gamblers of old with their fancy suits and hats.

Read and Review if you wish.


	7. The Draw

Catch-22: The Draw

By: M14Mouse

Summary: He dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground. The sky above them open up with a bolt of lightning.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Remember this: The house doesn't beat the player. It just gives him the opportunity to beat himself.- Nicholas Dandolos

"My little talent is simple. I can turn any shadow psychotic…sometimes, I even break them. Very opposite of scale of your little talent. I am curious on who ability will win. Let's see if you can save this shadow, shall we?"

He took out his deck of cards as the shadow screamed toward him.

He almost started cursing to himself because he knew Norn had no weaknesses. He could work through his deck and hope for a miracle punch card but that would such a waste of time and resources.

Right now, luck wasn't on his side. He drew the first five cards of his deck and did a quick look. This hand wasn't terrible. Quickly, he formulated a plan with his cards he did have in his hand, it can imagine that he wouldn't have a change to draw many cards while Akechi around.

He jumped out of the way as Norn's attack.

He couldn't just crush the card between his fingers like before. To use them, he dropped them to the ground. Discarding these cards come with a cost, sometimes, they returned to his deck and sometimes, they disappeared entirely. So, he had to choose carefully. The first five cards he draws from the deck could be blanks, low level spell cards….or devastating attacks like Inferno and Diamond Dust. This tend to drive the other personas crazy. They liked to point out that too much chance that he could get hurt. He pointed out that there is always a chance of him getting hurt.

He discarded two of his cards and allow them to drop the ground. The first card hit the ground in a flash of bright light. He heard the Norn's shriek in surprise and stopped her in her tracks. Few seconds later, the second card drop to the ground and the world was covered in ice. The veins of ice rose from the ground and piece into the Norn. It struggled to break free of the ice.

This was his chance.

 _You aren't foolish enough to save this one!_

 _Of course, he is going to try to save it. That is what he does!_

He paid a little attention to the two arguing personas. He didn't have time for it. He was careful to cross the icy ground and touch the Norn's forehead. He felt it…saw it….heard it.

Flashes of distant images like someone put them in old VCR.

He heard the sound of children laughing and playing.

He heard a soft voice of woman. He couldn't understand what she was saying but it was almost a whisper into his ear.

He saw a little girl in a bright blue dress running to a swing set.

Then the visions turned dark, he heard screaming and gun shots.

He saw bodies and blood…so much blood.

He didn't reject what he saw…he took it in.

He removed his hand from Norn's head.

He saw the madness in its eyes….then he saw something else. Flash of something that made his heart ache. Norn moved away for him. He thought for a moment that she was able to attack again. He watched as one of Norn's hands broke off branch of ice from the ground and stabbed herself in the chest.

He turned away to she screamed into a black smoke.

"Well…how interesting….I believe that this is a draw."

He didn't look at Akechi. He refused too. Instead he picked up a card off the ground, he flipped over for a moment.

His luck has seemed to change.

"I don't think so," He said as he dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground.

The sky above them with a bolt of lightning.

-P4P5P4-

 _So, I met the new guy._

He looked up from the map on his phone to listen to High Pixie.

Oh?

 _He is old and grumpy!_

He tried not to laugh at High Pixie's statement. She said the same thing about Lucifer and some of the others. So, he tried not take that statement at face value.

 _But I like him. We talked about the woods. We need to visit home again. I miss them._

After we are settled, we go back and visit the others.

 _Good._

 _I am not old, girl._

High Pixie giggled at the unfamiliar voice.

 _Yes, you are. Old and grumpy._

He tilted his head as he listened to the two of them arguing. His voice reminded him of the earthquake like it slightly rumbled in his ear.

 _I bet that you aren't going to keep up with us. Does Isis need to make you a cane?_

 _I will do no such thing for this creature. He isn't one of us, High Pixie. He is an outsider. Best ignore him until this game is over._

 _That is mean, Isis. He is one of us!_

 _Be at ease, woman. I mean you no harm._

 _Speak to me again and I will rip out your lying tongue. I will…._

Isis.

He knew Isis wanted to protect him. He was thankful for it but he liked to get to know him on his own terms. He couldn't make out the persona in his head. It was too dark but he could easily make out High Pixie, Isis and Izanagi. Izanagi wasn't near Iris or High Pixie but he was there….watching like he was sitting on a perch. Just waiting to act if he needed too.

Thank you.

He felt Isis touch his cheek.

 _Foolish child._

He grinned slightly as she moved away into another part of his mind. There was a moment of silence. Maybe, they are done. He moved his attention back to his phone.

There has to be a good Ramen shop around here.

 _Well…Isis is out about making you a cane, old man. Maybe I should get…_

 _Girl…I swear that I have the wolves come after you._

 _Oooh….how delightful. I haven't played with a pack of wolves in a long time. You promise?_

He felt the persona grumble under his breathe. 

_Don't make a promise that you can't keep, girl._

Now, he needed to step in. Normally, he let his personas work out their own issues but this was different.

High Pixie…why don't you go and see Pyro Jack is doing? I heard that he is going to make some s'mores.

He heard a high pitch squeak then he felt her presence gone. High Pixie loved her chocolate.

 _I wasn't actually going to hurt the girl. She is kin after all._

I know. It wasn't her that I was worried about.

There is a moment of pause.

 _You are a strange lad._

So, I have been told. So, do you have a name? Or do I call you old man too?

There was a long silence between them.

That is okay. It took us a month to get Abbadon to tell us his name. So, take your time.

He heard a grumble then a silence. Hmm….he seemed to have left. In the back of his mind, he heard a soft giggle.

 _You didn't tell him that it took us a month to figure out what he was saying!_

 _Be good, Leanan Sidhe.  
_

 _For you, sweetie? Always!_

He shook his head and look down at his map again.

Left…definitely left.

End of the Draw

Next Chapter: The Players 

A/N: So, Yu met his new persona. I love personas and Yu's interactions. They are just plain fun to write. Has anyone else saw the preview for Persona 5 Dance all night? I am probably will make it a side story with Yu being all composed on the outside and on inside, laughing his butt off. Second off, thank you for the wonderful support with your favorites, kudos, and reviews. You guys make this a gem to write.

Author's Question: Shadow of Life and I have this debate on where Yu would stand on Akira/Ren's arcana.

I would like to hear your thoughts! Anyway, read and review if you wish.


	8. The Players

Catch-22: The Players

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Finally, Yu met some of the players on the board….kind of.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story has currently un-beta.

There is a lure in power. It can get into a man's blood just as gambling and lust for money have been known to do.― Harry Truman

He didn't look at Akechi. He refused too. Instead he picked up a card off the ground, he flipped over for a moment.

His luck has seemed to change.

"I don't think so," He said as he dropped the Ziodyne card onto the ground.

The sky above them open up with a bolt of lightning. The bolt of lightning slammed in-between them. The noise was deafening. He felt the electricity brush against his skin. He watched as Akechi jumped out of the way. He could use this chance to put some distance between him and Akechi.

If he kept putting distance between him and Akechi, he will always be on the defense.

He was never one to stay on the sidelines for long.

He took his dice from his pocket and rolled them toward Akechi and dashed away. Few moments later, they exploded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akechi jump away from the blast.

Finally, he came to stop and draw his cane close to him.

 _Wait for it._

So, he did.

Over the years, he learned about fighting from his time in the tv world and Izanagi. The tv world was ruthless. There was no hiding in the shadows. Sometimes, he would get lucky to sneak behind them and attack. He learned to attack ruthlessly. It was a skill that helped him survive. Of course, in the real world, that drive could get him in trouble like with the fencing club and at work.

Then came the arena.

 _Now._

He felt breeze against his cheek. He lifted his cane and turned around to block Akechi's sword. He watched Akechi's eyes widen for moment before twisted around rammed his elbow into Akechi's stomach. He watched as he stumbled back.

"I thought that you wanted to talk."

"I thought that you wanted to kill me."

Akechi rose to his feet and started to laugh. He could see the chains started to form. He was going to use Robin Hood.

And once upon a time, he would attack without thought.

His persona has caused him to step back and wait….to watch and start thinking three steps ahead instead of now.

 _Boy is going to use one of his fancy light attacks._

He is trying to find our weakness. He figured light attacks would be the best since the little incident at the casino.

 _Ha. Weakness?! Hah. We are like the crazy girl. We have no weaknesses. He thought that was impressive! That was nothing! Wait until we get some more experience!_

In middle of a battle, he shouldn't be this amused but he was. It didn't help that his persona was doing a little dance in his head. High Pixie and Leanan Sidhe started to giggle. Tam Lin rolled her eyes at the pair.

Finally, Robin Hood appear behind Akechi _._ He saw the light building in Robin Hood's hands

.

 _What are you thinking?_

Sneak attack with a mudo card.

 _Excellent! Ready to go under?_

Ready when you are.

He only had a moment to act when Robin Hood let out his light spell. He slammed his cane and called him to the surface. He felt ground underneath him shake and his shadow expand under his feet. Suddenly, giant tree roots popped and snapped to the surface. They circled around his body to form a cocoon.

He was in complete darkness then he felt himself drop.

Others nearly had a panic attack when he first did this in battle. Honestly, they didn't flip out with Oracle's persona but with his persona? At least, he gave them some warning. Oracle just decided to pick them up.

Suddenly, he felt himself rush to the surface like a bullet and popped out of the shadow of a nearby building. It took him a moment to gain a sense of awareness. He realized that he was behind Goro now. He dropped his mudo card on the ground. He watched as the darkness pour into them.

He frowned when the attack deflected off.

"Is that the best you have, Gambler?" Goro said with a snarl.

He ignored Goro for a moment. He heard the others mumbling in his soul. Something wasn't right. The attack should have some effect on him. Goro's Robin Hood was weak to dark attacks and Goro wasn't wearing any dark-resistance accessory in the casino. Unless between the time that they split until now, he equipped one.

Or….

Hmmm…ah.

"So, how many personas do you have?"

Akechi's snarl turned into to one of shock.

 _Jackpot_

-P4P5P4-

The others would like to say that the first time that they met was Mementos.

Technically, that was true.

Officially, they met elsewhere but they just don't remember it until he told them. He does remember them quite well because well…they were kind of loud and nearly killed him.

Silence wasn't their forte at all. Tam Lin and Rakasa pointed out to him that they could wake up a bear in the middle of winter.

They were probably right.

It was something that he had to work on with them when he joined the group.

He met Ryuji first or rather heard Ryuji first.

He was walking pass the arcade when he saw Ryuji arguing with someone about a game.

"Come on! That is cheating!"

"It isn't cheating if you know the secret!"

"But no one knows the secret!"

The pair argued for a couple minutes before someone shouted for them to break up.

When he asked what game, Ryuji scratched his head and said that he couldn't remember.

Much like Ryuji, he didn't really met Yusuke but he definitely saw him. He was standing on top of a trash can, framing a picture with his hands. It wouldn't be so memorable if the trash collector wasn't trying to get him off the trash can. It took him a bit of time to remember where he met Makoto. After seeing with her persona, he remembered. She was the one that nearly ran him over with her bike. She spent a good five minutes saying how sorry she was. He waved it off.

Because she never saw Yosuke ride a bike.

Now, Ann….

He sighed.

She ruined one of his good shirts with one of her pasties. She ran right into him and…

"I am so so sorry!"

"It's okay."

"No…No! It isn't. Oh, let me!"

She rubbed the chocolate filling into his shirt with a napkin.

There goes his nice shirt.

"Oh, I made it worse. Let me buy you a new one!"

"It's fine. It happens."

"I will right back! I promise!"

Ann rushed into a nearby shop. At least, that is where he thought she went. He was busy trying to get the chocolate out of his shirt. It felt like a moment when she came back and pressed a brand-new shirt in his hands.

The shirt was…..well.. Uhh….yup…

He did thank her shirt. He did have his manners. It made a great story to tell his friends and a wonderful gift for Kanji.

Ann was horrified when he told them the story.

And then she wanted to buy him another shirt.

Then came Haru's turn, who by this time, turned bright red. She looked like that she was about to get up.

He was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong.

"I am very sorry, sensei. I didn't mean to hit you with a cart and drop the bag of soil on your foot. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I…I am so sorry!" Haru said in a hurry.

"A cart and the bags! Those damn bags are heavy! You dropped it on sensei's foot. Ouch! You were out for the kill." Ryuji said.

"I said that I was sorry!"

"Give her a break, Ryuji. You have done worse!"

"Sure, but not to sensei!"

Futuba took out her lollipop and turned to him as the conversation dissolved into fighting between Ryuji and Ann.

"So, how did you meet Ren?" She asked.

He turned from her to Ren, who turned to Morgana.

Morgana sighed.

"I hate both of you."

End of the Players

Next Chapter: The Star

A/N: I wanted to add a little humor to this chapter. You know the other thieves will bring it. I will devote an entire chapter to Ren/Yu meeting when the times comes. Now the arcana debate. Some said Aeon. Some think that I should go with a "fake". I am debating about using the World. At this point, I have no idea what to do. XD I like to say I am sorry to my readers on for forgetting to upload chapter 7 until last Thursday.

Fun Question: Do you think Yu is a tea or coffee drinker?

Anyway, read and review if you wish. Thank you again for feedback, kudos, and reviews. You guys rock!


	9. The Star

Catch-22: The Star

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu learns on how popular Akechi is. That plenty of time to poke fun of his new friend.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"So, how many personas do you have?"

Akechi's snarl turned into to one of shock.

 _Jackpot._

He watched as Akechi called Robin Hood away. After that, Akechi rubbed his chin and just stared at him. It looked like as if he was trying to gather his thoughts.

 _The boy lost his advantage. He is trying to figure out what to do next or…_

Izanagi started before Lucifer finished the sentence.

 _Just put a bullet in you for knowing too much._

"How did you know?"

"You aren't the first wild card that I have met. Your weakness to dark attacks were gone. So, I narrowed down to two choices. One, you could have equipped yourself with dark resistance equipment. You may have done when we broke up but I am guessing that you didn't have the chance. Two, you equipped yourself with a dark resistance persona. I went with the second choice."

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable. You continue to surprise me, my friend."

He gripped his hat in his hand and bow slightly. He heard Pyro Jack giggle.

"So, how did you get your persona? Was it like how you described?" He asked.

Akechi paused.

"I wandered and wasn't paying attention after I got off the train. I felt the air change. The world become twisted then I was there. My first palace…it was twisted and beautiful. It looked like an ancient Greece palace. So huge with its endless ceilings but the pillars made of bodies. Screaming, twisted bodies. I would find out later that it was his collection."

His stomach twisted at his words.

 _Don't show anything. Don't move. Keep your eyes focus on him._

"Then the shadows came and attacked. I thought to myself that I am going to die. No one is going to care if I did. Then this voice came…asking me about my justice and what would I do achieve it? Of course, I took it. The power that rushed through me. It was terrifying and wonderful then I crashed those shadows into dust."

"And?"

"Then I exploded my first palace. The things that I learned about this world. It was remarkable. Nothing was a secret. Everything was for the taking. Money…information…items. It took me weeks to learn everything. After I was done learning everything, I ended it. Nearly gave me a heart attack the first time that I watched the palace crumble. I learned to be more careful after that."

"Oh?"

"I couldn't kill them all. I didn't want to draw too much attention to what I was doing. Of course, there were some that I didn't need to kill. Just…guide them in the right direction. Of course, it made so much easier when I discovered my talents. It made everything so much easier."

"That road lead you to Shido."

"Eventually. How did you get yours?"

His persona snorted.

 _That is a load of question. Which one would you tell him? I heard that you getting Atropos was memorable._

All of them were pretty memorable to him.

 _Sap_

"Interesting question. I am not sure what to say since you were there too."

"How…"

"My persona sense you lurking. According to him, you are loud."

Goro chuckled softly.

"I was merely watching."

"Insightful, huh?"

"Very."

Atropos…time?

 _You might want to cut this conversation short. The other Fool is almost finish with the lawyer._

"Sadly…in the end, that insight was all for nothing. It is time to wish you…a farewell, my friend," Akechi said as he pulled out his gun again.

He lifted up his cane and quickly undo the wooden sheath around the blade. It was something that he made for himself once he got his new persona. Kanji helped with the suit. The models may work here but he just couldn't use them. There was too much ingrain habit from the tv world. He tossed it to the side and rushed toward Akechi. He can't let him get off another shot.

He watched as Akechi's hand move toward his sword but stopped for moment. Akechi finally jumped out of the way. His blade brushed against his cheek.

Quickly, he twisted around and stopped. He turned back around to face Akechi, who brushed his cheek.

He could see the blood rolling down Goro's cheek.

He drew first blood.

-PS4P5P4-

"Ooo…look! Look! There he is! The detective prince!"

"Oo…right next to the tall one. He is cute. So is his friend. I can totally climb that."

"SHH…They can totally hear you."

"I am so sorry about that," Akechi said as they walked pass a group of girls.

"It is okay. Hanging out with Rise is worse. Sometimes, the paparazzi is annoying. Kanji or I had to step in a few times. We always get a laugh out of the magazines the next day. The headlines are highly amusing," He said.

"I am glad that you are able to find the humor in this situation. Wait…you said Rise. Are you referring to Rise Kujikawa?"

"Yes."

He watched as Akechi blinked for a moment.

"You know a lot of famous people."

He shrugged. He never thought of them that way. They are his friends.

"I really don't think of them as famous. They are my friends. I have seen them at their bad moments and their best as they have seen mine. I am extreme proud of them and their accomplishments. How do your friends feel about yours?"

Akechi paused.

"Sadly, I don't have time for friends. My work keeps extremely busy."

"Not even your colleagues?"

"Then tend to view unkindly to my age."

He nodded his head. Naoto faced the same thing.

"As your friend, I'm very proud of your accomplishments. Your latest case with that DIET member was impressive. You must have worked a lot of hours to get that done."

Akechi flushed.

"You read about that?"

"Of course. I was…huh?"

'What is it?"

He waved his hand toward a magazine that he saw on the rack.

"Dating a super model."

Akechi chuckled softly.

"This week."

"Supposedly, my friends and I got Rise involved in a cult. We gave them points for creativity. Normally, it is who is breaking her heart. Apparently, I do it every other week."

"I have been a part of those headlines. Apparently, I have been a part of several love triangles. Rather tiring if you ask me."

"I know that they are trying to sell papers but sometimes, they are rather silly."

"Drama sell papers."

"Truly and apparently…threesomes."

Akechi blinked for a moment then laughed.

End of The Star

Next Chapter: The End (of the Beginning)

A/N: I totally agree with my reviewers about Yu drinking both. As a writer, I am also surprised by Yu and Akechi's friendship. This fic is totally not turn out like I planned but that isn't always a bad thing. I want to thank everyone for stopping by to review, kudos, give me cookies, or just favorite this thing. Thank you!

Author's fun question: Which Persona 4 character would you like to appear first (not just over the phone)?


	10. The End (of the Beginning)

Catch-22: The End (of the Beginning)

By: M14Mouse

Summary: BANG. BANG. BANG.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling can turn into a dangerous two-way street when you least expect it. Weird things happen suddenly, and your life can go all to pieces.-Hunter S. Thompson

Quickly, he twisted around and stopped. He turned back around to face Akechi, who brushed his cheek.

He could see the blood rolling down Goro's cheek.

He drew first blood.

"Since when you had this trick?" Akechi asked.

"For a while. Personal experience at all," He said as he held the blade close. He watched as Akechi drew his sword as well.

He needed a weapon that was hidden in plain sight. Between him and Kanji, they were able to figure out something that he could use in the cognitive world and the real world if the need for it. As much as he preferred his sword, it was always a pain to bring with him. So, they thought up this solution.

So far. So good.

"Clever," Akechi said as he rushed to attack him.

It was an attack that he easily blocked. He pushed back him back and Akechi pull back to attack his other side. He did some test thrusts to see Akechi's skill. The first thing that he realized at Akechi's reactions to his test was he wasn't comfortable with a sword. No, he should rephrase that.

His moves were good but they were functional. It remained quite a bit of his fencing club in high school. Some members were natural with their weapons. Some were terrified of them. Some knew the moves but didn't fall either category.

 _This isn't his preferred weapon of choice._

Probably the gun.

 _Probably_

He noticed that most persona users pick up their weapons through a trial by fire. It was a dangerous method but they really didn't have much of a choice.

One of these days, he and Igor were going to have a talk about that. It would save him some headache if he had an idea on what was coming.

He chuckled softly. Knowing Igor would just grin at him and give him some riddle.

After a few test hits with his blade that Akechi easily blocked, he went in. He pressed his blade a little hard and he went in. Akechi started to struggled to keep up with his moves. He was no longer on the offense but the defense.

"Someone has been training," Akechi said as he barely blocked another move.

 _He is trying to distract you._

I know.

 _The boy knows that he is out gunned here. He is up to something._

 _Hmm…the other one…._

His other persona…he hasn't used it yet.

 _Yes._

Finally, he knocked Goro's sword from his hands.

"You won't kill me. You just can't. You are one of the "good" guys," Akechi said with a laugh.

He saw something underneath Akechi's feet. He jumped back as he watched. It was like his persona's attack but not. It was dark and twisted shadows that wrapped around Akechi's body.

 _What the hell?!_

 _His other…_

His hand dived into his pocket for his phone. He watched as Akechi drew his gun and point it at him.

"But I have…no such quarrels."

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

-P4P5P4- 

Yu was busy fixing dinner for himself but he had the tv on. The news was blaring in the background.

 _There are reports coming out of the school that he confessed in front of the entire school._

… _rumors that this behavior has been going on for years._

… _several students have reported…._

 _The police believe that…_

… _the incident with the student._

… _calling cards were left all over the school…_

… _crimes…_

… _change of heart…_

… _they call themselves…_

 _The Phantom Thieves._

End of The End (of the Beginning)

Next Chapter: The Familiar

A/N: Don't kill me? Please? Anyway, to answer the question, everyone will make an appearance but I am leaning toward Teddie or Rise to make the first appearance but for very different reasons. It depends on how the future chapter rolls. Anyway, thank you for the lovely reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys are awesome and deserve Phantom Shape cookies.

Since I am working on this chapter now….my question is: How do you think Ren and Yu meet?


	11. The Familiar

Catch-22: The Familiar

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Being back in school brings familiarity back in Yu's life…in more than one way.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. This chapter hasn't been beta.

"Did you use the shirt that I picked out for you, big bro?" Nanako said over the phone.

"Of course."

"Are you going to wear the shirt that I picked out for you tomorrow, sensei!" Teddie said.

"Of course," He said with a laugh.

The night before his classes, Teddie and Nanako gathered around his uncle's old laptop. They insisted that they picked out his outfit for school. It was hilarious. He had to point several times to Teddie that really doesn't match or it wasn't the season.

" _But…But Sensei…don't you want to be a hot stud?"_

" _Teddie! Big bro is going to school, not on a date."_

" _Oh…Sorry, Nana-chan."_

" _That is okay. When big bro goes on a date, we will make sure that he dressed a lot better."_

" _YAY! You're the best!"_

He had to force himself not to laugh at their fun. As long as they didn't make him wear a coat or giant flower, he was good.

It was good to hear them laugh. They sounded a little down since he left. He made a note to visit them during the next break. It wasn't that far from here.

"How were your classes?"

"Did you meet any beautiful fair maidens?"

"Classes went well. No, I haven't meet any maidens, Teddie."

It felt…strange back in a classroom. The material didn't bother him but the environment felt strange. Perhaps, Mitsuru-san was right.

" _You know, there is a strong possibility that you will be the oldest in your class."_

" _I know."_

" _You aren't worried?"_

" _I have been many schools over the years. Some where I have been the oldest and sometimes, the youngest. This won't be new."_

"… _."_

" _Are you worried?"_

" _Tests don't fall to swords."_

" _Mistsuru-san? What are you worried about?"_

"… _..I am not sure that it would be wise to doing this case and your education at the same time."_

" _Probably just as wise as the Dark Hour or looking into a murder case while we were in school."_

 _She chuckled over the phone._

" _We were younger than."_

" _And yet that hasn't changed anything, has it?"_

" _No, it hasn't."_

" _There are more and more rumors and reports that we uncovered. I don't like where this is going."_

" _I have back up and I will call it if I need."_

" _Just be careful."_

" _I will."_

Nanko's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Did you make any friends, big bro?"

" You mean beside Akechi? There is Schwarzer and Albarea…"

He met Rean Schwarzer first. It was after class one day and Rean kept staring at him funny. It made him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to ask why Rean was staring at him.

Soon...he got his answer

" _It is nice to meet another sword wielder," Schwarzer said behind him._

 _He nearly tripped over his feet when he heard that. He turned around to see to a smaller man with dark black hair behind him. The stranger looked a little embarrassed as he scratched his head._

" _Oh?"_

" _Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I saw your fencing bag by your school bag. I thought great! Another sword person. Hah…sorry. The others say that I should stop doing that," the man said._

" _That I can imagine. Did you fence as well?"_

" _For a little bit. I preferred the tachi myself but my parents thought that it was a good idea." The stranger said with a laugh._

" _The same expect that it was a good elective to take at the time. My instructor thought that I was too forceful and might hurt someone."_

" _Mine thought that I was too nice. I was holding back."_

 _He chuckled._

" _I can see that," He said with a grin._

" _Is that challenge?"_

" _Maybe?"_

 _The stranger laughed._

" _Rean Schwarzer."_

" _Yu Narukami."_

Then he met Jusis Albarea…who was Rean's friend soon after. He was around the same height as Rean and had blonde hair and blue eyes. In his head, he could already hear Rise telling him that he was the "model" type.

" _So, you adopted another one?" Albarea said as he looked him up and down._

" _I didn't adopt him! I commented on his bag!" Rean said with a sigh._

" _Uh huh…like you adopted Elliot."_

" _Elliot lose his violin. I was merely helping him find it. And you like Elliot!"_

"… _And Gaius?"_

" _He was asking my thoughts on one of his paintings."_

" _And Emma?"_

" _She got her bag stuck…I swear…you make me sound that I am a stalker."_

" _A helpful stalker. So, how does it feel to be adopted?" Jusis said as he turned to him._

" _As long as it isn't a cult, I am good." He said in amusement._

 _Jusis laughed._

" _I like him. He gets to stay."_

Nanako and Teddie laughed.

"I like them," Nanako said.

"I knew that you would." He said.

"When will we get to meet them?" Teddie asked.

"Hopefully soon."

"YAY!" The pair shouted over the phone.

"Okay, I'm here. I have to go." He said as he finally arrived at his destination.

"Good bye, big bro," Nanako said.

"Good luck and Good bye, sensei!" Teddie added.

He laughed.

"Good bye, you two." He said before he ended the phone call. He slipped his phone into his pocket.

He eyed the school carefully. It looked like a normal school but he knew better.

Appearances can be deceiving.

He watched as the students exit and enter the building. He adjusted his bag.

It was time to get to work.

End of The Familiar.

Next Chapter: The Memory

A/N: Yu is a little social butterfly, isn't he? What can I say? I like Legend of Heroes and I thought Rean and Yu would get along quite well. So, there. But don't expect Rean and the gang to appear too much. Sorry. Anyway, some of you guys were right on the nose on how Yu and Ren meet. Some of you guys were actually close on how Yu meet the others.

Fun question: Who do you pair our heroes with during your playthrough?

While pairs won't play a huge role in the story, I won't lie…I am curious what you guys did during your playthrough. So, read and review if you wish!


	12. The Memory

Catch-22: The Memory

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu finds Mementoes.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling is not a vice, it is an expression of our humanness. We gamble. Some do it at the gaming table, some do not. You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play. -Jeanette Winterson

There was nothing at the school.

Yu expected as much.

He knew time was a factor since he nearly came two weeks after the "famous" incident.

He wasn't sure what he was going to find there anyway but it was interesting to see the whole Phantom Thieves thing has done to the school. The school was still buzzing with it. Rumors were flying everywhere and he couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone. There was an energy there that reminded him of the murders. Everyone has a theory and no one has the answer. At least, not one that they are willing to share.

Unlike the murders, this situation could easily be explained away. These "thieves" knew something and decided to blackmail their teacher. So, instead of doing it privately, they decided to show the whole school and let them in on the secret as well. In his opinion, it was a good idea. Secrets can be easily buried especially these…

He shook his head to move away from those thoughts.

Impressive but still…something bothered him.

He just couldn't figure it out why until he talked to Rise on the way home that night.

" _I have been promoting my new movie and no one has been asking about it! It is the Phantom Thieves this and the Phantom Thieves that. It is crazy." Rise said over the phone._

" _Oh?"_

" _I am saying that they shouldn't have done it. I totally believe that they should. I thought that would go away at this point. I thought that DIET member getting caught with that escort was much bigger news. It barely made a dent in the news. It like the fog all over again."_

 _That is what it reminded him of. Toward the end, everyone was talking about it. It was crazy._

" _I notice that too. I am not sure if the media or something else."_

" _And…you are looking into, of course."_

" _Of course."_

" _Just don't overwork yourself. You and Naoto worry us sometimes."_

" _Naoto worried me more. She has the habit of sleeping her keyboard."_

 _She giggled._

" _Awww! Since my next interview is soon, I almost have to go. BUT! I have to favor to ask. Be my date for the premiere."_

" _I thought that you were going to ask Youske since he was free."_

" _Well…"_

" _What happened?"_

" _His nose bleed again when he saw one of my students."_

 _He laughed. That sounded like him._

" _Okay…just text me the time and place."_

" _You are a gem, Yu. Bye!"_

" _Bye!"_

He shook his head with chuckle as he hit the end button on his phone.

As he walked down the steps, he felt a shift in the air. His hand went under his jacket and gripped the sword. He cursed himself when he realized that nothing was there. Carefully, he walked down the steps as his surrounding grew darker. The walls began to changed from somewhat clean to covered in dirt and some type of vines.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized that it was still the subway in a way. It reminded him of an abandoned subway. The spray paint on the walls. It looked like that it hasn't been cleaned or used in years with dirt and grim clinging to the walls. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a glowing familiar door.

The Velvet Room.

He noted that away for later since there was no attendant present. He guessed that his fellow fool wasn't here.

Still…This is new.

 _Very._

 _I wonder where we are._

If he had to guess, it was some other world similar to the tv world. When he entered it, he felt the same shift.

 _Still doesn't explain where we are!_

It is okay. We will figure it out, High Pixie.

She huffed for a moment.

 _This is hell._

He tilted his head when he heard Lucifer's voice.

Lucifer?

It was strange that he remained silent. 

He looked down the dark tunnel. He couldn't make out anything. He jumped down onto the tracks.

 _Are you crazy?!_

 _You are insane! You don't have a sword._

I am just checking it out!

 _The lad is crazy._

He chuckled softly at the others. He is merely checking around the entrance. It will give him an idea on what to expect next time he is down here. From the entrance, he could tell the tunnel ran deep and breaks out into different paths.

It was definitely worth exploring but not today.

He was about to turn back around when he heard a voice.

"Come on…let me look at it." A female voice said.

"He Ho…" The voice said.

"I know that you are hurt. I am sorry. The other shadows can be so mean."

Slowly, he moved from the entrance and toward the voices.

 _Yu, this isn't wise. This could be a trap._

I don't think that it is, Tam-Lin.

Finally, he found the source when he saw a Lilim and Black Frost several feet in front of him.

The little Black Frost was pressed against the wall and trying to make himself as small as he could possible be. He could also see him holding his arm.

Poor little guy.

 _He Ho…_

I know. I know, Jack. Let me see what I can do.

 _This boy is a sap._

"I am not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to check!" Lilim said as she hovered over the Black Frost.

Slowly and quietly, he approached the pair.

"Hello."

The pair turned toward him. Lilim squeaked and Black Frost tried to make himself even smaller.

He held up his hands.

"Easy. I just trying to help."

"HELP! YOU! You come in here and cause all of this chaos! All of the shadows are upset and it caused so much chaos. Okay, not everyone but most of them! This place is constantly changing. Do you know how many times that I got lost!? A lot, okay!"

So, there have been others here. Unlike the tv world, this place is constantly changing. Really good things to note for next time.

"I am really sorry that others have been upsetting you. I just here to help."

Finally, he kneeled down on the ground and set his bag down. He opened it up and got his mini first aid out of his bag. It was something that he picked up while working at the day care. He opened the kit to show the duo.

"I am going to patch you right up. See? Bandages and disinfectant wipes." He said.

Black Frost looked into the kit and pointed at one of his more colorful bandages. Nanako may have grown out of the phrase but Teddie loved them.

"You like that one?"

Black Frost nodded his head.

He turned to the Lilim and offered the disinfectant wipe to her.

"Would my nurse like to open the package for me?" He said.

"Oh…of course," She said as she opened the package for him and handed it back. Black Frost removed his hand to show his arm. Good…just a little scratch.

"This may hurt a little, okay?" He said as he took out the wipe and gently the scratch. He opened up the tie-dye band aid that Black Frost picked out and put it on his arm.

"There. You are done. You were very good. What does my nurse think? Good enough?" He said. Lilim moved over to look at the Black Frost's arm. She examined for a moment.

"Look good," She said.

"Good," He said as he went through his bag again to get some candy out.

"Since you were such a good patient, you get some candy."

Black Frost's eyes glowed as he opened the wrapper and set piece of candy in his hand.

"For being an excellent nurse, you get one as well," He said as he opened another piece and give it to Lilim.

"Thank you." Lilim said with a blush.

He watched the two shadows eat their pieces of candy as he packed away the first aid kit and put it back into his bag. Once he was done, he got back to his feet. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrapped around him. He looked down to see Black Frost hugging him.

"Aww…thank you." He said as he patted the little one's head.

"You should be leaving. The bad shadow will be here soon," Lilim said.

He nodded his head.

"Will you come back, Sensei?" She asked.

"I will. Next time, I will bring snacks and a game that we can play," He said.

Black Frost clapped and Lilim cheered happily.

Hopefully, this will help him get information about this place and the shadows that lived here.

 _I thought that you were going to give us a heart attack._

 _He almost did._

 _But he was wise to seek help for those who live in that dominion._

He had a feeling that he was going to need it.

He also needed to remember to bring his sword.

And find out where this weird app come from….

End of The Memory

Next Chapter: The Meeting

A/N: I am sorry for the large gaps in posting. My dad has been in and out of the hospital since June. I am hoping once everything is settled, I will be back to normal posting schedule. Anyway, I have finally introduced some of Yu's shadow friends. They are important for stuff…that you will find out soon enough. To answer my own question, I paired Yu with Rise and Chie. For Ren, I paired him with Makoto and Haru.

Author's Curious Question: What is your favorite persona?

P.S: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews especially yours, Y. They are truly awesome. So, read and review if you wish.


	13. The Meeting

Catch-22: The Meeting

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Ren meet Yu. Yu meet Ren.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling is the great leveller. All men are equal at cards.-Nikolai Gogol

Futuba took out her lollipop and turned to him as the conversation dissolved into fighting between Ryuji and Ann.

"So, how did you meet Ren?" She asked.

He turned from her to Ren, who turned to Morgana.

Morgana sighed.

"I hate both of you."

"Okay, now I really got to know," Futuba said with interest.

"I wasn't there for the first part of the story. Maybe you should start?" He said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"The first part?" Haru asked.

He nodded his head.

"Morgana and Ren were arguing about something when I came to look at the job posting board."

Ren adjusted his glasses and glanced over at Morgana, who still mumbling under his breathe.

"Before you came up? Mona was saying that I needed a new job that brought in more yen. He needed new equipment," Ren said.

His eye brow rose slightly. Mona looked like that he was able to bolt.

"Man…you were really trying to get on sensei's bad side," Ryuji said as he stopped arguing with Ann for a moment.

"It was the first time that we met! I didn't know!" Morgana said.

The others knew his feelings about the yen situation. Being in the same situation as Ren was in a few years ago, it gave him perceive and made him slightly pissed off. It didn't help that Ren looked exhausted from time to time. So, he decided to have a talk with the others.

" _So, you are telling me that Ren pays for all of the supplies…"_

" _Yes," Ryuji said._

" _Why?"_

" _Because he is better with managing money than us. Ryuji and Yusuke spend money when they get it. I…well…"_

 _His eye brow rose slightly._

" _So, you are telling me that Ren has been paying for all of the supplies. He has been working extra jobs in order to fund your journeys into the palaces and Mementos. He is also studying, helping out Boss and numerous others in the community. And…."_

 _The three of them look at each other._

" _Well…all of us are kind of broke, man. Ren look like that he has it covered. So we leave him to it. We get enough from the palace and Mementos. That should cover us for sure." Ryuji said as he scratched his head._

 _His eye brow rose higher. He needed to make a note to take Ryuji shopping with them when they do a supply run. It is pretty telling that they didn't know the prices for anything._

" _How much do you think medicine cost, Ann?"_

 _Ann blinked._

" _I am not sure? 500 yen?" Ann said._

" _If you are buying from vendor machines, sure…I can say that is around 500 yen. But if you want the good medicine, the doctor isn't cheap. So, try 1,000 yen or more for that," He said._

" _How much does your weapon cost, Yusuke?" He said calmly._

" _Given the condition of the weapon, 5000 yen?" Yusuke said._

" _You are close. But buying a new gun and weapon for each of you, I say that cost roughly around 20,000 yen or more."_

 _He watched as the gears turn in their heads._

" _HOLY CRAP…that is 80,000 yen?!" Ryuji shouted._

" _Roughly."_

" _I didn't realize that everything cost so much," Ann said._

 _The group looked like they were getting disciple by a parent or a principal._

" _So, what would you have us do?" Yusuke said._

" _I believe sensei saying that you guys should donate from time to time to help him with buying items and equipment," Mona said._

" _Thank you, Mona. You shouldn't leave out yourself out of this. I know that you sneak a few coins here and there."_

" _How did you know! Who told you?!" Mona said with a huff._

" _Toothless, of course."_

 _His shadow friends tend to talk a lot and have no filter. He learned a lot from them…sometimes, good and sometimes…. information that shouldn't be shared. The others only caught part of the conversations in battle._

 _Him and Ren?_

 _Just say they spent one evening talking about the weirdest and funniest things that shadows say and do._

 _That was fun._

" _What do you have us do?" Yusuke said._

 _He smiled just a little._

That how the Phantom jar was born. The others would donate when they could. Ren was confused by it at first until he explained its purpose. Ren denied that he needed help but he could tell that helped.

If he donated more than most, then…it was his little secret.

"So, I didn't miss much?" He said.

"Not really," Ren said.

"You two were nothing but trolls…evil trolls," Mona said.

He and Ren just grinned at each other.

 _He approached the stand where Rean told him about the local job posting. It seemed someone had the same idea as him. He slowly walked over and started to looking through the job postings at the magazine stand. He really didn't need another job since he has the Shadow Operatives and tutoring._

 _It is always good to have his choices open._

" _Anything good?" A voice said behind him._

 _He tilted to his head to see a guy with messy black hair with a back pack on his shoulder. His eyes widen slightly when he saw the uniform._

 _It was the school that he was at about two weeks ago._

" _Depends on what you think of as good," He said._

" _In other words, nothing that I haven't seen already," The guy said._

 _He chuckled._

" _Probably. Sometimes, I have better luck with newspapers at finding jobs."_

" _I haven't look at those yet. What do you recommend?"_

" _Tutoring is good. Sometimes, the local hospital can be a good place to look. Local businesses can be tricky. They can be a good source of income especially if they pay under the table."_

" _Wow…this guy knows a lot of about jobs. Ask him which one brings in the most money."_

 _He looked around for the source of the voice but he saw no one nearby. It was definitely not the person next to him._

 _He frowned._

" _Best job for money?" The guy asked._

" _Tutoring," He said._

" _Well…that is out especially with your record," The voice said._

 _Okay, now he knows that he heard something. He was pretty sure that it was coming from the guy's pack._

" _Anything else?"_

" _Bars…the pay is better than most."_

" _Now that is an idea! Where to start looking…"_

 _Okay…now he knew something was in the pack._

" _Is your bag making noise?" He asked as he goes behind the guy to examine his bag._

" _DAMN IT!" The voice said._

" _You are being loud, Morgana." The guy said to his bag._

" _Who is Morgana?" He asked._

 _Suddenly, a cat's head popped out of the guy's bag._

" _I am not being loud!" Morgana shouted._

 _A talking cat?_

 _No…he could hear meows under the words. He tilted his head and frowned. It was something that he and the guy next to him can understand him._

 _Well…that is kind of new._

 _Not Teddie new or robot new but still new._

 _He listened as the two were bickering back and forward. It was kind of funny but he wasn't quite sure what to do._

 _How do you confront someone with a talking cat?_

 _What do you say?_

" _Your cat is adorable. May I touch him?" He asked._

" _NO, YOU MAY NOT!"_

" _Sure," The guy said._

 _He reached over and gently run his fingers along Morgana's fur._

" _Stop it…purr…" Morgana shouted._

" _Aww…I take it that he has a sweet spot," He said with a smile._

" _Well…," The guy said with a smirk._

" _Hmmm…"_

" _DON'T YOU DARE! TELL HIM TO STOP PURR….rrrr…!" Morgana shouted then purred as he ran his hand along Morgana's back. Morgana put his head back into the bag to avoid his touch._

 _They guy's face brighten as he took off his bag. He set it on the ground. The guy slipped his hand into his bag._

" _What are you doing, Ren?! Puurrrrrrrrr….."_

 _He laughed softly._

 _Ren, huh?_

" _Sometimes, it is only way for me to get him to be quiet sometimes."_

" _He does seem to be a talkative cat."_

" _You have no idea."_

 _Oh, he was pretty sure that he did._

" _At least, you can hear him coming."_

" _You can't hear me coming! I am the best thief alive! Puurrr…Stop it! Ren…purr…," Morgana said with another loud purr._

 _Ren chuckled as he picked up his bag again._

" _Thank you for allowing me to play with your cat," He said._

" _No problem," Ren said._

" _Yes, there was very much of a problem!" The cat shouted._

" _Maybe, next time, I will bring some treats. He does seem like a good cat," He said._

" _Treats?"_

" _He is. Probably the best," Ren said._

 _He just chuckled._

 _He had something to talk with the others._

"Evil trolls…both of you." Morgana said.

Ryuiji and Fubuta laughed.

"Aww…you have a sweet spot…Awww," Ann said.

"Not you too, Lady Ann."

"So, you could hear Morgana from the beginning?" Makoto asked.

"Yes. I believe that my time in the tv world played a role in that fact," He said.

"I could never figure why that you didn't tell us sooner," Morgana said.

"I believe that I was a little busy. Since the first words out of your month when we first met was that I was the man in the black mask, had an army of minions, and were killing people, my friends weren't very happy when you said that."

"….One out of three isn't so bad."

End of the Meeting

Next Chapter: The Cracks

A/N: The money situation in the games always kind of pissed me off. So, Yu step in to help out because he understands. I have been asked what I am going to do with Dance All Night and Persona Q 2 (Go see the trailer guys…GO!). As it stands, nothing changes but who knows right? Now to answer my own question from last week, I really like the Persona 4 characters' personas, Black Frost, Tam Lin, and Kohryu. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, kudos, or just stopping by. You guys are great! Read and Review if you wish.

Future Chapters: The Cracks

The Deck

Break In Play: The Hunger

The (Un) Familiar Faces

Break in Play: The Sensei Effect* (Finally…Yu and Phantom Thieves meet! :D)


	14. The Crack

Catch-22: The Cracks

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Akechi and Yu have a talk. Yu is starting to see the cracks.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Gambling makes boys selfish and cruel as well as men. -Thomas Hughes

"I never asked but what is your opinion on the Phantom Thieves? I believe that your outlook would be different since you do work for the police department." Yu said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"They have definitely made life interesting. Annoyedly so," Akechi said as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"Oh?"

"False leads…phone calls…shouts that they are the Thieves. It has die down a little since the first incident."

"I can image. So, you think that it is a one-time thing?"

"No, I don't think so. I think that there will be another incident. They know that the first time was a success. I don't see them letting go. There will be another to keep their names in the papers sort of speak."

"That is where I disagree with you," He said.

Akechi jerked a little and blinked at him if he was surprised.

"I believe that it is personal. From the papers and the news, the abuse has been going on for years. It was going to boil over sooner or later. As for the group…maybe, they knew someone that he abused. Maybe, someone in their group was being abused. Finally, they did something about it."

"Then they should have gone to the police."

"Do you believe that the police would have done something?"

Something cross Akechi's face then it was gone. The look was followed by silence.

"I would believe that the police would have handle this situation."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"You put me in a very hard spot."

"Not really. I put you in an honest one."

Akechi laughed.

"What a spot to put me in."

He hummed softly as he waited for an answer.

Akechi sighed softly.

"Based on the evidence, I believe the police would have ignored any accusations. The word of teenagers against the word of a highly-decorated coach. It would have been swept under the rug," Akechi said.

"Justice isn't blind. It just sees what it wants to see."

"Oh, yes. Justice see the rich, the poor, and everything in between. It only values power. The power to use and abuse it."

He nodded his head slightly as his body tensed up. He caught the look in Akechi's eye. There is a darkness there.

"Interesting thought for a detective."

"It is a thought that I want to change. Justice should remain blind and free for all…not a select few," Akechi said before he took a sip of his coffee.

"A noble thought," He added. Something felt off about his words…the sentence…Just everything.

"Easy to say…"

"But hard to do."

Akechi chuckled softly.

"But you are the first to believe that this isn't some prank. I found your thoughts insightful and something worth noting, my friend."

"The same."

A ringing noise came from Akechi's side. Akechi sighed softly.

"Duty calls." Akechi said as he got his phone out of his jacket pocket. Akechi frowned as he looked at his phone.

"I am making lasagna tonight. So, expect a container at your doorstep tomorrow," He said with a nod.

"Honestly…you don't have to keep feeding me."

"And allow you the pleasure of eating convenience store dinners? Never," He said with a grin.

Akechi laughed.

"I look forward to it then. But at least, allow me to pay for your coffee."

"Thank you," He said as Akechi got up from his chair and paid their coffee to the older gentleman at the counter. Akechi waved good-bye and he waved back. He watched as Akechi left then turned his attention back to his coffee.

"That kid got to lighten up a little. Of course, he seemed perk up a little when you are around," The older gentleman at the counter said.

He turned to the gentleman to get a really good look at him. His hair was slick back into a ponytail. He wore an apron around his waist. He pushed a pair of glasses back to the bridge of his nose. His body was kind of leaned over like he has been working for a long time over a hot stove.

"Oh?" He said.

"Normally, he came in and have a cup of coffee. He has a habit of looking into the cup like it had all of the answers. My coffee is good but not that good."

He chuckled softly.

"Your coffee is alright. I prefer tea myself," He said with a grin.

The old man barked out a laugh.

"You came to the wrong place. I don't serve tea here."

"I don't know…your sign outside said café. I was terrible disappointed that there was no tea on the menu."

"Well…sorry to disappoint you, kid. Just to say that there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I am sure that it will have your tea."

"I doubt that you are," He said with a grin.

The older man shook his head and chuckled.

"Kids, these days think that they are so funny."

He grinned.

"Hey, Boss! How about a refill?" Another consumer said at one of the tables.

Boss grumbled as he moved toward the table with a pot of coffee.

He chuckled softly before going back to his coffee. He heard the door ring behind him. He turned his head toward the door to see a familiar pair. It was the boy from before and the talking cat. The pair didn't seem to see him as they walked pass him.

"Honestly, we have work to do and you want to hang out with Ryuji," Morgana said.

"He needed help with something. You can wait one day," Ren said.

"He always wanted to do something. Next, it will be Lady Ann…"

"And I thought that you liked Ann…" Ren said as he walked up the stairs.

…

Hmmm…

….So, what kind of job does a talking cat has anyway?

End of the Cracks

A/N: Yes, I am very aware that Akechi show up earlier at our favorite spot than in the game. Akechi probably want to bring his friend without annoying eyes and ears around. Boss/Yu interactions are the best. There will be more of them. Thank you for the favorites and the reviews. You guys rock

PS: I am going to be at Dragon Con this weekend! If you want to meet up, you PM or flag me down…I will be in my Pyro Jack costume! :D


	15. The Deck

Catch-22: The Deck

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Ever wonder where Yu got his cards…well…the story goes like this.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

 _You are going down there…again!_

Of course. I did promise.

 _Shadows!_

They aren't that bad. Wait until you meet Teddie.

 _This Teddie must left quite impression for you to be such an idiot child._

Leanan Sidhe choked laugh inside of his head.

 _We found that strange one to be interesting. Our Master cared deeply for the strange one. So, we tolerate the strange one._

He rose his eye brow slightly. Genbu rarely talked…much less call him Master. That was interesting.

 _You are crazy, kid._

If it made you feel better, I brought my sword.

 _And snacks…_

They like snacks.

In the corner of his eye, he could see the impression of something. Something…purple? He could barely tell that it was before it was gone.

Nice cloak.

The persona snorted.

 _Oh, don't forget the games! I love games._

He grinned at High Pixie's voice as he jumped down to the rails.

 _Games?_

Just some cards…it is easier to carry than Monopoly or Scrabble.

 _Yosuke is very good at Monopoly. He brought all of the railroads the last time that we played._

 _Naoto and Yu are very good at Scrabble._

 _What in the hell is this Monopoly and Scrabble?_

He chuckled softly at his personas explaining the rules of both games to the new persona. About half of the rules were wrong but still…it was funny to listen to everyone. He took a flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. He flashed the light around.

Hmmm….

You know…it kind of reminded him of a haunted house with its endless hallways and sounds.

Kind of creepy.

 _It reminded me of home._

It does have that feel, doesn't it, Mot?

Now, if he turned right here…then turned left. He stopped when he saw a door instead of a path.

Hmm…he forgot that this place constantly changed. Going to hard to map this place if it does. But if this place like the tv world or Dark Hour, there are still probably landmarks or markers.

 _If we can find them._

He nodded his head.

"Hold, human!" A voice said behind him.

He turned around to see Yaskini behind him. Her swords were drawn as her body moved from side to side.

 _The girl is hot._

 _You have terrible taste in women. That one could eat you._

 _Also hot._

He chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Oh, hello. Have you seen Lilum or Black Frost around?"

"Why do you seek such creatures?"

"I promise that I would come back and brought snacks."

Yaskini made a face.

"You aren't trying to form a contract, are you? The other ones came down here tried and failed. They are terrible."

Several of his personas started to laugh.

"They are young and still learning. You have to forgive them."

"Young indeed…but so are you."

"I am," He said as he looked behind her in hopes to see what direction to go.

"I have a use for such young blood here. Not theirs. Perhaps, you can keep me company"

"No, I am a little busy at the moment. Thank you for the offer."

"Who said you won't?"

"Me."

 _See? Told you that this was going to happen._

He sighed. This had to turn into a fight. He watched as Yaskini draw her blades. He reached to draw his own blade.

"SENSEI!"

"HE HO!"

He turned around at the familiar voices and smiled.

"Hello, you two," He said when he saw Lilam and Black Frost running toward him.

"You came!" Lilam said as she stopped in front of him.

"Of course."

Black Frost hugged him. He grinned as he looked down then patted its head.

"Did you bring snacks?" Lilim said hopefully.

"Like I promised."

Lilim clapped her hands then she turned to Yaskini, who looked confused.

"You aren't messing with Sensei, are you?" Lilim asked.

"No?"

"I was just going to invited her to our game," He said.

"Really? I was about to…" Yaskini said in confusion.

"Of course. Why don't you find a spot, Lilim?"

He had to cut her off quick because he wasn't sure how Lilim and Black Frost would react to her trying to eat him.

Lilim hummed for a moment then her eyes lightened up. She grabbed his hand pulled him deeper into this place. Black Frost was holding his hand and Yaskini was following behind closely. Finally, they reached what looked like the end of this place. Well…kind of since it looked like that there was stairs leading down.

He wondered how big this place was and how far it goes down.

"Ta-DA! If the bad shadow comes, you can always run down the stairs."

"Sound like a plan. So, what should we do first?"

"He Ho!"

"Snacks."

He laughed as he let got of Black Frost's hand. He set his bookbag up on the platform before pulling himself up. He offered his hand to Black Frost and the Black Frost grabbed it. He pulled him right onto the platform with him. Black Frost clapped once he got to the top.

"Yaskini?

The shadow looked confused.

"Both?" She said.

He smiled as he opened his bookbag. He grabbed his deck of cards, pocky box, potato chips, and pretz box out of his bag.

"What are we going to play, Sensei?" Lilam asked.

"Go Fish."

He thought of playing Menko with them but he wasn't sure if the throwing and shouting was such a good idea. So Go Fish was simple enough and less violence.

"Ooo…how do you play?"

He took out the deck of cards from its pack.

"I deal out 5 cards to each of you. The rest become our draw pile. We ask asking a specific person for a specific card like do you have any sevens, Black Frost? If you have any sevens, you give them to me. If the person asked does not have that card, they say 'Go fish!'. The player must then draw the top card of the pile. Then they set the pair down and they get another turn to ask for another. If the person doesn't have it, but the turn now passes to the next player. The game continues until either someone has no cards left in their hand or the pile runs out. The winner is the player who then has the most pairs. Any questions?"

The shadows shook their heads no.

"Okay. If you have any questions, just ask," He said as he dealt out the cards. The shadows gathered in semi-circle and grabbed their cards…and of course, their snacks.

"Does Sensei have a five?" Lilim said.

"No, go fish," He said.

Lilim pouted and drew a card.

"He Ho?"

"I don't have it. Go Fish."

"Two, Yaskini?"

"Damn it."

Yaskini handed Lilm the card.

"Lilim, you told me that this place always changed. Do you know why?"

"Uh huh…Do you have a king, Sensei?"

"No…go fish."

"No…not really. There are always new shadows coming here expect when it made a lot of noise. The place shook really hard. It was awful," Lilm said.

"It sounded terrible."

"Hee Ho!"

"It is! I don't want you and Black Frost around when the man in the black mask is here. He changed this place every time he came down here. It screamed last time. So much noise and pain but after a while, it changed back. It was quiet again."

"Man in the black mask? Like the phantom thieves?"

"No. The other ones are funny. Sometimes, they calm the other shadows down," Lilim added.

"I have sense the man in the black mask hunger for something. While we hunger for something here, most of the shadows flee from such hunger. His hunger consumed and destroyed all," Yaskini said.

 _So, there are two groups._

More like a group and an individual…

 _And now, you._

"Sensei, it is your turn."

"Oh, thank. How about nine, Black Frost?"

"He ho!"

"Of course. How does this place change?" He said with a grin as he took a card from the pile and added to his cards.

"Lots of noise." Lilim said.

"Sometimes, a piece will break off." Yaskini added.

"HEE! HO!" Black Frost added as he waved his arms about. It was almost enough to throw his cards into the air.

"Break off?" He said.

"Yes, it is like an earthquake and then it pops off." Yaskini added.

"That sounded scary."

"It did!" Lilim added.

"HEE HO!"

"Hey! What is going on!? Can you let an old man sleep?" Another voice said.

He looked over to see an Incubus.

"Oh, hello. You want to play too?" He asked.

"What are you playing?" Incubus asked as he approached them.

"Go Fish."

"Boring….you should play blackjack!"

"You know how to play?"

Incubus frowned for a moment.

"Maybe? I don't remember."

"I haven't play blackjack in a while. Let me look up the rules and we can play next time, okay?"

It was interesting to see what shadows remembered and what they couldn't.

"Really?! Thanks, man! Oo….what are these?"

He grinned.

"Snacks."

Incubus glided over and took a pocky stick out of the box.

"Hmmm…yum," Incubus said as he took a bit of the stick.

"Don't eat all of them!" Lilim said.

"You aren't eating them!"

"I was sharing!"

"Guys…" He said.

"I was planning to share!"

"No, you weren't!"

"Yes, I was."

"No, you weren't!"

"Enough."

The shadows stopped arguing and stared at him.

"Sorry, Sensei."

"Sorry, man."

"That is okay," He said.

"Hee Ho?" Black Frost said.

"Hmm…that is a good idea. Why don't we pause the game and enjoy our snacks?"

"Finally, you have a good idea," Yaskini said as she dived into the snack pile. The other shadows followed suit.

"Ooo…I know what Sensei can bring next time," Lilim said.

"Oh?"

"Cookies!"

"Hee Ho!"

"That is a good idea, Black Frost. Gummies are the best, man," Incubus said.

"I would like veggie sticks."

"Hi-Chews."

"I like that hard candy you brought last time, Sensei."

"Gum!"

He laughed softly.

"I like…SENSEI! Go down the stairs. Bad shadow is coming," Lilim said as she scrambled from the ground.

"Okay," He said as he scrambled to his feet.

"Go…Go…Go!"

"HEE HO!"

Black Frost and Lilim pulled him toward the stairs. In the distance, he could the sound of chains.

"Will you guys be okay?"

"We will be fine, Sensei. He Who Is Death does not approach us." Yaskini said.

"Before you go, Sensei…here. This is for you." Incubus said as he handed him something.

"Go!" Lilim said as she pulled him down the stairs.

He stumbled down the stairs until he reached another level of this place.

It looked…the same. He shouldn't be surprised.

He looked down what Incubus gave him.

It was a card.

It wasn't like his other cards but he still could sense power from it. He flipped it over.

 _Garu_

His fingers ran along the symbol.

 _Hmmm…I suggest that you keep it. We might need it for later._

Huh? He wondered what that meant.

End of the Deck

Next Chapter: A Break In Play-The Hunger

A/N: Now, you know how Yu got some of his cards. I like writing Yu and the shadows are fun. I can't wait to write the Sensei Effect…shadows interactions alone. Anyway, I didn't get any reviews. No need for me to write a long note! Thanks for the favorites and kudos. I can glad that some of you are still with me! Read and Review if you wish.


	16. A Break In Play: The Hunger

Catch-22: A Break In Play: The Hunger

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Akechi pays someone a visit.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares.-Simon Sinek

When Akechi first saw Adachi Tohru, he wasn't impressed.

He was an unkempt man with unruly black hair. His clothes looked like that they came from the bottom of a basket. He walked into the room like some sort of street thug.

He looked like someone that belonged here.

…And someone that Narukami would never associate with this…man unless a situation called for it.

And the situation did when Yu went to live with his uncle and his cousin.

Yu spoke so highly of them.

He spoke of Nanako and her love of Junes. He spoke of her love for cooking and dancing. How she loved to hang out with him and his friends. Most of all, how she loved her father and her big bro.

He spoke of his uncle, a small-town police detective. He spoke of his love for good food and his daughter. He spoke on how much his uncle tried after his wife's death and his daughter's sickness.

How much he worried about them once he left….

Most of all, he spoke on how he couldn't wait to introduce him to his family and friends.

It wasn't the typical I know a famous person type of gesture. No, it was a genuine gesture of friendship.

That act alone left suspicion and like any good detective, he did a background check. As much he was that he had Shido in the palm of his hand, he couldn't be too cautious.

He couldn't have any surprises.

But he was surprised by what he found. He was….a kindred spirit.

His parents were gone more often than not. His constant moving around echoed that. He didn't have a permanent home until his second year of high school. A part of his file was sealed and he couldn't unlock it yet since it was in the states. Of course, he made a note to himself to look at it later.

Another matter that interested him was the murders in Inaba. The motive and how the murders were executed were mildly interesting. The biggest draw to him was who caught Tohru.

Of course, there were other names in the file. He read them all. He knew them all. Not just from the files but Narukami's stories. Narukami said when they had time, he would take him to the hot springs to relax. Too meet his friends…to show him his favorite fishing spots.

He almost laughed.

Narukami was something. He had to know the story.

How did his friend caught a murderer?

And was he in danger as well? He had to check.

On the surface, it should be nothing. He knew better. It wasn't. Narukami knew Tohru because he was his uncle's partner. Tohru knew Narukami because he was his uncle's nephew.

He had questions….those questions led him here.

"Who the hell are you?" Tohru said.

He chuckled.

"My name is Goro Akechi. Why don't you have a seat?"

Tohru looked around for a moment before taking a seat in front of him. He watched as Tohru leaned back in his chair. For a moment, the man had that look in his eye. The same look that his father had.

Utter disgust.

In the next moment, Tohru's face and tone turned into another one that he was familiar with.

I don't care why you are here….you are beneath me.

"So, what do you want, kid? Want to talk about the murders? Done them…the end," Tohru said.

He chuckled.

"Oh, I know about those. I must say the MO was interesting but that isn't why I am here. Do you know a Yu Narukami?"

There was a flick of recognition then that look returned.

"What do you want with the kid?" Tohru said.

"So, you do know him," He said.

"I met the kid through my partner. Yu is his nephew after all. No big deal."

"No big deal? I believe that he had a doing in your capture."

While he didn't show it, he enjoyed the moment when Tohru's face fell.

"I made a mistake. The kid got lucky."

"According to your file, you left no evidence of your little…adventures."

"Like I said luck…what's wrong? Want to find why I did it? Hell, if I was out of here, I would probably hang you right up there. You have the look," Tohru said with a smirk.

He would love to wipe that smirk off of this worm's face but he needed to know something first. Narukami was a kinder soul to deal with such a man.

"I know why you did it. Tell me about how Yu Narukami caught you."

"I made a mistake. Damn bastard caught on. A rookie mistake that him and his little group caught on too."

Oh, he knew about them…very interesting on how they met especially when he heard it from Narukami.

"Oh? What was the mistake?"

The worm laughed.

"Left him some letters. The brat isn't dumb. He put two and two together. I got to say…I didn't expect him do it. No matter what I said or did…he came at me. Hell…The brat has balls."

This scum did have a point. Narukami is something.

"Thank you for your time. It is most insightful."

"I told you nothing."

"No…you told me everything. Narukami was able to beat you because of your ego. You are much like a king stabbed in his back because he forgot to take the knife from his servant Of course, you are here. You will always be here. One more question before I leave…would you do another murder again if you had the chance too?"

Tohru frowned for a moment.

Silence.

He got up from his chair and hummed softly as he left the room.

It might take some work on his part. His dear father hated it when he worked outside of his "rules." Tohru was no threat to them.

Still…he would be a terrible friend if he didn't to give Narukami a birthday gift.

He couldn't have that, could he?

End of The Hunger

Next Chapter: The (Un) Familiar Faces

A/N: Writing Akechi was hard for me since he is so damn creepy but his friendship with Yu is interesting. Here is someone who genuine wants a friendship and his first reaction to looking their background. It will be interesting to see where it goes when Yu finds out about his "other" job. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, kudo, favorites, and everything you guys leave me. I love it. Read and review if you wish.


	17. The (Un) Familiar Faces

Catch-22: The (Un) Familiar Faces

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu meets some familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.-Virgil

"You know…you could say no," Yu said over the phone.

"And have the press haggle me so more, my friend? I think not," Akechi said with the sigh.

The last couple of weeks, Akechi looked like Naoto did after working a case for too long. He almost went down to the station a few times to bring him home or bring him food. Akechi insisted that he was fine but…he was worried.

"There are others who could do it."

"There is but…now that the thieves left their mark again. The press wants my opinion."

"They have a lot of those even without you. Not always a good thing."

"You spoke no truer words. Most of all, they will spin their trust along with the lies. As much I disagree with the Thieves, I despise injustice. They spread it like a wildfire."

He can definitely understand Goro's point of view there. He has seen it with Rise and Naoto. He knew that his friends tried not to let it get to them but…sometimes…

He saw it in their faces…the tension in their eyes and how they tried to brush it off.

That is why they try so hard to make a home for them when they are there since their jobs don't offer such a safe haven.

"Good luck…you are going to need it. Wait…what time is the interview?"

"It is in afternoon sometime…I am not sure on the date yet but why?"

"Most of my classes end by the afternoon. I will swing by and we can go and eat lunch after the interview."

"Yu…you don't have too. It is too far."

"I haven't been that side of the city. It will be nice to explore. Besides, I heard there is a pancake place there. It is supposed to be as good as ones in the states. That is kind of hard to beat. I would like to see if they are up to the challenge."

Akechi laughed.

"That is sort of challenge that we should test."

"It is."

"I will text the time and date. I am looking forward to it."

"The same."

"Bye."

"Bye."

He lifted the phone to end the phone call. A minute later, his phone started ring again. He looked at the name and laughed.

He hit the button and put his phone back to his ear.

"Hello, Youske."

"Hey, partner. Busy?"

"Nah…just meeting some friends. Rean wanted to check out a bookstore around here. Although, he did just text saying that he is going to be late because he got catch up helping a friend. Not entirely surprised."

"Remind me of someone else that I know."

"I am not that bad."

"Uh huh."

He chuckled softly.

"What is wrong? I thought that we were doing Facetime tonight with you and Teddie."

"Teddie disappeared again."

He chuckled.

"I will call Naoto later."

Teddie has a habit popping up unexpectedly especially when he said that he was lonely. He popped up in London because he and Naoto were there. They weren't quite sure how Teddie did it but as long as he was alright….

That is what was the important thing.

"Thanks, man."

"So, why else did you call?"

"Right to point."

He hummed softly.

"How do you do? Go back to school?"

"A good employer."

"YU!"

He chuckled softly.

"Patience with yourself and others. Realize that you are going to make mistakes and decisions that may not want to make but that is okay."

"Maybe, I should do Shadow Ops instead. She is hiring, right?"

He hummed softly. He just needed to wait for his friend to let out what he is bothering him.

"I don't think that I should go back to school."

"Oh?"

"Dad needed the help. He said that I am a good manager. Maybe, I should stick around, you know."

"…"

"But that is a terrible idea, you know. I am overworked and unpaid. I love my dad but I think that it is time, you know. Urgh! So undecisive."

He hummed softly. He only had to wait for a moment.

"You know what?! I am going to do it. I am going to turn in my application."

He smiled slightly.

"Good."

"Haha…it is good talking to you, man. You always set me straight. How about you? I have been reading about the whole Thieves. It has been wild there."

"Yes, it is."

"Kind of strange. That is all everyone has been talking about. I want to hear about Rise's new movie. She won't tell me or the others. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise. All that I hear about our thieves."

"Rise said the same thing."

"Hmmm…"

"It is going to get more interesting soon since they are all over the news again."

"You think…man…you always have all of the excitement."

"Not always a good thing," He said with a laugh.

"Man…you're right. Damn it…my shift is about to start. Talk to you tonight?"

"Of course."

"Okay…bye, partner."

"Bye."

He ended the phone call and looked up to see a woman. She looked horrified at him from across the street. He looked around to see if she was looking at him.

Oh…she was.

He looked for a moment then crossed the street.

"Are you okay?"

The woman blinked at him. She had purple eyes, long blonde hair, and wears a big navy-blue headband. She wore a necklace with a small red jewel resembling a teardrop. Her outfit was interesting too.

She was wearing a clock dress?

"Oh..oh…I am sorry. I am so sorry. I should…I should…but I saw the chains. I…you aren't safe. Not at all."

"Oh?" He said in confusion.

"Oh, I am sorry. My name is Chichya Mifane, a fortune teller." She said with a bow.

"Oh."

Margaret has definitely shared her thoughts on fortune tellers. Not always kindly…

They didn't always talk about personas and fusions when he was in the Velvet Room.

"I saw you…you are bond in chains. So many chains. It is almost choking you. I have something to protect you. A holy stone! Please, sir, I beg of you!"

Margaret would definitely have words for her.

"No thank you. I am good."

"No…no…you can't be. You will die," Mifane said as tears formed in her eyes.

Wait…was she crying?

He reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay."

She jerked at his touch.

"No, it isn't…"

"Do you have a practice deck?"

He learned from Margaret that some fortune tellers don't like for others to touch their cards. So, they will have a secondary deck.

"Yes…"

"Can I show you something?"

Mifane nodded her head in confusion and headed toward a table that was nearby. She took a seat and got out a deck of cards from her bag. He followed her and took a seat across from her. He picked up deck and started to shuffle the cards.

 _It is the question is how the deck is laid. Only fakes and fools lay down the cards without a purpose._

He grinned softly as Margaret's voice rang in his head. He laid down the cards in Celtic Cross like she taught him. 

"I believe that you have heard the journey of the fool?"

She nodded her head but she looked so unsure.

He smiled brightly as he flipped over the first card. It doesn't surprise him too much when he saw the Fool card.

"The fool represents the journey and infinite possibilities in that journey. Not all of the time we follow the journey. Sometimes, the fool takes on the other characteristics of arcana."

He flipped over the Tower card.

"Never bad thing, of course. The fool learned from the others that came in contract with on the journey. Sometimes, the fool will rest and reflect on the past."

He flipped over the hanged man card next.

 _I thought that I taught you better than this. A little flare perhaps?_

"Sometimes, the fool will also reflect the future," He said as he flipped over the judgement card.

"The fool isn't perfect. The mistakes happen."

Death.

Temperance.

"But it is important to let those mistakes happen and learn from them. To grow with them."

He flipped over some more cards.

Justice.

Magician.

Star.

"Because of that growth…it will help that fool make it to the destination. A little wise…a little more bruised…but happier. So, you said that you saw me in chains? Those are only part of the journey. Because in the end…I will promise you. I will break free," He said as he flipped over the last card.

World.

He got up from his chair and bow slightly.

"But I do thank you for the warning. I will keep it in mind," He said with a grin.

He turned away with the fortune teller's face in awe and Margaret laughing in his head.

-P4P5P4-

When he opened the door to his apartment, he heard a loud crash. His hand reached for his phone then a familiar voice stopped him.

"I can cook, thank you beary much! And I want to cook for sensei!"

"You can barely manage water, sir. I do not want you to kill him with your terrible cooking skills!"

"I will not!"

"Will too!"

He walked into kitchen to see Teddie and Theo arguing. They were covered in flour in the middle of his kitchen. He wasn't quite sure why Teddie…okay, he knew why he was there but…Theo? What was he doing here? Last time he heard, Theo was with Elizabeth.

He wondered what happened.

"WILL NOT!"

"WILL TOO!"

He watched in amusement as he watched Theo pointed a frying pan at Teddie.

Guess it was take out tonight.

End of The (Un) Familiar Faces

Next Chapter: Break In Play: The Sensei Effect

A/N: No, Yu didn't break any of the rules of his contract with fake Igor because he didn't invite them. Yes, I do know the events of arena but keep in mind, he isn't going to spill details about the tv world thus the silent response at the end of the last chapter. I also finished majority of the Sensei Effect and following chapter, the Conversation which large chapters in itself. I still want to go back and add more details to both chapters. Read and review if you wish.

Fun Research Fact: Some forture tellers have multiple deck of cards depending on the situation and personal preference.


	18. Break in Play: The Sensei Effect

Catch-22: Break in Play: The Sensei Effect

By: M14Mouse

Summary: The shadows are acting strange and Ren is about to find out why.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A good teacher is a determined person.- Gilbert Highet

The shadows were acting strange.

Okay, shadows are already strange but stranger than normal.

First off, the only angry or strong shadows would attack them. The other shadows would either run away, give him gifts or talk…a lot.

"LaTe. So LaTe. No GO! SeNseI!," Slime said as it passed them by.

"Who is he?" Ann said.

"I don't know. Someone important, I guess?" He said.

Then they met the pixie…

"You know that isn't how you talk to a lady," Pixie said to Ryuji.

"But you aren't a lady," He said.

He and Ann made a face when the Pixie slapped him.

"OUCH!"

"Don't insult the shadows, Skull," Mona said with a smirk.

The pixie huffed.

"Sensei would never talk to me like that," Pixie said with her hands on her hips.

"Sensei? Who is that?" Ann asked.

"A better man than you lot," Pixie said as she turned and disappeared into the tunnels.

"Sensei? I am curious on who that is," Yusuke said.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

 _Do you guys know who Sensei is?_

In his head, he heard silence before Arsene spoke.

 _None here heard of this name._

He sighed softly. He knew it was because a lot of his new masks came from the latest palace and not Mementos.

 _I wonder who he is. He seemed to be a nice fellow from what the other shadows said._

 _I bet that he is a cutie_

He shook his head as Nekomata and Angel talk among themselves.

The next shadow that they came across was when they came down the stairs. An Incubus was hovering by the foot of the stairs. He was frowning and staring at the stairs.

"You know that I am not 100% sure if sensei went this way. I wished that Lilim or Black Frost were here. They would know where he is," Incubus said with a huff.

"If it helps, we didn't see him when we were upstairs," Ann said.

"That does help, kid! Thanks! Here." Incubus said as he approached Ann and dropped a piece of candy in her hand.

"Uhh…you're welcome?" Ann said in confusion.

Incubus smiled then turned around. He watched as the shadow disappeared into the tunnels.

"Now, I really want to meet this sensei fellow," Yusuke said.

"Honestly, this is so weird. We should be cautious. We have no idea who this sensei is. For all we know, he could be the man in the black mask," Morgana said.

"I don't know. I don't think that shadows would be so excited to see someone who is trying to kill them," He said.

"It could be a lure!"

"Maybe."

"No reason to hang out here, man. Lets go. We have some requests to finish up," Ryuji said.

"Aww…look at Skull. He is being all serious," Morgana said in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, man!"

"Come on, you two," Ann said in a huff.

"Yes, Lady Ann," Morgana said as he turned into a van.

He shook his head as they boarded onto Morgana. God, that is still so weird.

Ann slipped into the driver's seat and he slipped in the passenger seat. The others moved to the back. Once everyone was on board, Morgana purred softly before started driving down the dark tunnels.

"You know…Mementoes would make a fine subject for a painting," Yusuke said.

"You would totally go with the weird, man," Ryuji said.

"I think that it is a cool idea," He said.

He saw Yusuke's paintings. It would be cool to see what he came up with.

He opened his mouth to ask a question when he hear a horrible scream.

"Mona!" He shouted.

"On it!"

Morgana twisted down another tunnel and bolted toward the scream. Another scream echoed through the tunnel.

"Turn right! Turn right!" Ann shouted.

"OKAY! OKAY!"

Mona turned right down another tunnel. Where the tunnel started to turn, they were greeted by the sight of a white lion like shadow on top of Incubus. A Lilim was throwing rocks at the white lion shadow nearby but the creature remained unmoved from his spot.

"Get off of him you big meanie!" Lilim shouted as she threw another rock at the lion.

"Please don't eat me or Lilim!" Incubus shouted as he covered his head.

"Hey! Leave him be!" He shouted.

The shadow turned his attention away from Incubus and toward them.

Everyone stumbled out of the van and got into a fighting position. Out of the corner of his eye, Morgana returned to his normal form.

"What the hell is that?!" Ryuji said.

"I sense a powerful shadow. Be careful." Morgana said.

"Okay…everyone spread out. We don't know what we are up against," He ordered.

"I will be back, Incubus!" Lilim shouted before throwing one last rock at the shadow.

 _Fragile little thing but she has spirit._

"Can you sense anything else, Mona?" He asked.

Mona shook his head.

"No…sorry."

"Okay…Fox, speed us up. Skull, get ready with an attack on my go. Panther, you are the back up. Mona, get ready to heal," He said.

"Gotcha, Joker," Skull said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the others follow his orders. He felt the familiar sensation of the Fox's spell cover his body. He felt his body become lighter.

He drew his blades and rushed toward the shadow. It let out a roar when he cut into its fur then he quickly jumped away.

"Skull now!"

Skull quickly followed him behind with his bat.

The shadow let out another roar then its yellow eyes started to glow.

"Everyone back up!"

The shadow roared again as burst of fire rush toward them.

He tumbled to the ground…he felt the heat brush against his jacket. That was close.

"Shit…that fire was strong!" Skull shouted.

As he jumped to his feet, he saw ice form under the shadow's feet.

"HEE HO!"

In mere seconds, the ground was covered in ice. The shadow tried to get away but slipped. He looked from the lion to a shadow that kind of looked like a Jack Frost but black.

"HEE HO!" The strange shadow shouted as he rose his hand in the air. The ice rose from the ground to form a tree around the lion. A second later, the ice shattered around the lion.

The lion collapsed for a moment before it rose to its feet again.

"Shit…that thing isn't going down." Skull said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something…no, someone rush toward the shadow. The newcomer was slim and tall. He wore a buttoned-down blue shirt and black pants. Most of all, he had a sword that slice through the shadow. He couldn't really see the guy's face.

The shadow roar as it finally collapsed to the ground. The stranger put away his sword as the shadow disappeared into a smoke.

"Wow…you are awesome, Sensei!" The Incubus said in awe.

"You should be thanking Black Frost too," The stranger said.

"Thanks, little guy," Incubus said as he got up from the ground. He floated over and gave the Black Frost a high five.

His eyes widen slightly as the guy's face came into view.

"You are the guy from the job board!"

The guy frowned for a moment and stared at him for the longest.

"Oh…you're the guy with the talking cat!" The stranger said with a smile.

"Wait a minute…how…YOU ARE THE MAN IN THE BLACK MASK!" Mona said.

The guy looked away from him to Mona.

Poor guy looked confused.

"How many people have you killed? And you have an army of minions?! It was worse than I thought!"

"Take that back! Sensei would never do such a thing!" Lilim shouted.

"You got it all wrong!" Incubus shouted!

"Hee Ho!"

Black Frost's eyes started to glowing.

Crap…this isn't going to end well at all.

He needed to stop this now.

The stranger's voice cut through the fighting like his blade.

"That is enough."

Mona and the shadows stopped fighting and looked over at the stranger.

"What evidence do you have that suggested that I am this man in the black mask?" The stranger asked in curiosity.

"You are down here…and talking to shadows. You are only one that we have met so far," Mona said in a huff.

The stranger tilted his head for a moment then he turned to Incubus.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"HEY! I was talking to you!"

"I am fine, Sensei," Incubus said.

The stranger looked over his shoulder to look at Mona. Arsene spoke softly into his head.

 _He will not heed._

"You accuse me of being something at your convenience. You offer nothing but words with no evidence to back them up. You don't desire truth…you desire lies. Until you wish to learn the truth, I will be on my way," The stranger said before turning back around to look at the trio of shadows.

Damn….He has never seen Mona totally dismissed like that before and judging by Mona's face…neither has he.

"Let's head back. Hopefully, there are snacks left for us."

"Lets!" Lilim said as she clapped her hands.

"Man, they probably got all of the cookies." Incubus said sadly.

"I have an extra box in my bag," The stranger said.

"YAY!"

"HEE HO!"

The stranger and the shadows started walking down the tunnel. Black Frost grabbed the stranger's hand. Before they disappeared into the shadows, Black Frost turned around and stick out his tongue at them.

There was a long silence between the group.

"Well…shit. He told you off," Skull said.

"HEY!" Mona said.

"He is right, you know. You accuse him with no evidence," Fox said.

"That wasn't very nice, Mona. We should hear him out," Panther said.

"But…But…" Mona said.

"I agree. Besides, I don't think that he is the man in the black mask. He was wearing regular clothes and I didn't see him use a persona. Not that he needed one…did you see him with that sword and those shadows jump over themselves to help him. We will probably be in his way. I am curious on how he does it. Half of the time, they barely listen to us," He added.

"Yes, I was wonder that too," Fox said thoughtfully.

"All in favor of talking to the stranger and not piss him off. Say hell yes," Skull said.

"I agree."

"Me too."

"I am totally in agreement."

"Fine….but I don't like it."

End of The Sensei Effect

Next Chapter: The Conversation

A/N: I am very sorry for my late update but my dad passed away on Halloween. So, writing the next chapter was hard for me. So…I was able to get it done. Few things to keep in mind. This happened before the tv station. So far, they have only seen Yu. Mona is Mona. As much as he grew on me later in the game, he was very much a jerk. Yu doesn't have time for that. Anyway, I want to thank you for the wonderful support. You guys are awesome. Read and review if you wish.


	19. The Conversation

Catch-22: The Conversation

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu and The Thieves have a talk. Mona continues to open his mouth.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The world is like a reverse casino. In a casino, if you gamble long enough, you're certainly going to lose. But in the real world, where the only thing you're gambling is, say, your time or your embarrassment, then the more stuff you do, the more you give luck a chance to find you.

-Scott Adams

"Are you okay, Sensei?" Lilim asked.

"Do you want me to get Slime to eat them? Because he will!" Incubus said.

"Hee HO!" Black Frost added.

"No…No…it just worried me that they thought of me as some type of killer," He said as he shook his head no.

 _You spoke wisely._

He nodded his head. He could understand why the cat said that because he was probably the only person that they have seen down here.

 _Can we talk about the elephant in the room?_

He made a face at High Pixie.

 _And you are surprised by his actions?_

Kohryu groaned softly. Then Tam Lin and Isis got involved.

 _No! But…he could have gotten killed. He doesn't have us anymore!_

 _He is a warrior. He adapted to the situation._

 _And nearly got killed in the progress._

 _Killed? He didn't even get a scratch on him. He did a wonderful job of using his strengths to defeat his enemy. We have trained him well. He is no weakling._

 _You aren't thinking logically. He could have been killed._

 _Logical has nothing to do with instinct and ability._

He pressed his hand against his head.

That is enough. The personas in his head fighting stopped. The other persona grumbled.

 _Quite the gamble, boy. I like it._

Oh?

The other persona didn't say anything. 

"You aren't a killer. They are just meanies!" Lilim said angrily.

"Are you sure that you don't want to have Slime eat them?" Incubus said.

He chuckled.

"No, it is a nice thought. I don't want Slime to get a stomach ache."

"Oh, right."

He shook his head as he listened to the other shadows chat around him. He hummed softly as they walked down the dark tunnels. He was glad that his little shadow friends were okay. After few minutes, they made it to their spot where the other shadows were waiting for them. Yaskini spotted them first.

"SENSEI!" Yaskini shouted.

The other shadows turned around and rushed toward them.

"INCUBUS! Are you okay?"

"Black Frost! Lilim!"

"Sensei, we save you some snacks!"

He watched as they gathered around them. Hariti checked Incubus for any injuries. Hua Po and

Yaskini huddled around Black Frost and Lilim.

He grinned as he walked over to the edge of the platform. He pulled himself up and take a seat next to Slime. Slime came up to him and spilt out a package of cookies. He patted Slime's head.

It was a good thing that the cookies were still in its wrapper.

"Thank you."

"WeLCome!"

In distance, he heard the sound of a car. He frowned for a moment. There are cars here? Sure enough, a strange car came into view. The car came to a stop and the people came out. Suddenly, the van turned into the talking cat creature from before.

Okay, now that is new.

"Oh my god, he has more!" The strange talking cat shouted.

He tilted his head to get a better look at the talking cat….Mona? He thought that it was Morgana? He was shorter than the rest. He wore a black mask that almost covered his entire face and a little yellow bandana around his neck.

His shadow friends broke off their conversations and stared at the newcomers. Lilim hissed.

"MONA!" The lady in the red mask said.

He titled his head slightly. That outfit can't be comfortable. He remembered Rise complaining to him about spandex for a week when she did a special.

Wait…does she has a tail and a whip?

"What!? I am just saying that he has more! We should be careful."

"Man…shut up before his shadows eat you," The blonde one said.

He turned away from the cat lady to the blonde one with the skull as a mask. He looked like he got lost in Hot Topic. Those pants can't be comfortable.

How on earth do they fight in those outfits?!

Black Frost's eyes started to glow again. He rose his hand slightly.

"Lets hear them out, okay? Why don't you guys come over and finished the snacks? " He said

"HE HO!"

"Okay, Sensei."

"We don't know that yet. Come here, Black Frost."

Black Frost and the other shadows came over. He leaned over and grabbed Black Frost then set him down next to him. The other shadows went back to the snacks left by his bag.

"If he wasn't the man in the black mask, he would stop them!"

"Your comments are not going to endear him or his shadows," The one with the fox mask said.

The one with fox mask's outfit seem more comfortable with baggy shirt and pants….but what is with the tail?

He is beginning to see a trend here.

"Mona…let me talk to him," Ren said.

Ren's outfit was completely black but looked more comfortable than the others. He wasn't sure how wise the jacket was to whatever they were doing. He could see easily getting caught on something.

"But….Joker…." Mona said.

Joker? Mona? Okay…now, he was confused.

"I thought that your name was Ren." He said in confusion.

The others stared at him in shock.

"How did you know my name?" Ren said.

"When you and Morgana were talking by the job board…wait? Or is it Mona?" He asked.

"You heard him?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you find that…strange?"

"Not really."

 _They don't know what to make of you._

 _Hell, I don't know what to make him. I am inside the kid's head._

Ren turned from him to the others. They started to huddled together to talk. He hummed softly as he opened the pack of cookies and gave one to Slime.

"ThAnKs!" Slime said.

He smiled as he listened. Whoever they are…they are terrible at being quiet.

"What should we do with him?"

"I don't know."

"I mean…we can't leave him down here. It is dangerous."

"I don't think he has anything to worry about."

"Still…it isn't safe."

"Good luck on telling him that."

"That isn't important! He is…OUCH! Okay…Okay. I want to know if he has seen anything or heard anything about the man in the black. Probably not but sti…."

"The shadows are afraid of him. They ran when they sense him. They said that he left them alone for the most part. He often very focus on what he is doing down here. They said that he always caused changes. Not the good type according to them. Sometimes, they said that it felt like an earthquake."

The group stopped talking and turned back to look at him.

"They told you that?" Ren asked.

"Yes."

"I can imagine that the palace shadows and the shadows from here would be different."

"Guess so? Never been to a palace before."

He wondered what these palaces look like and what a palace was.

"What are they?"

"A palace is where people with large enough desires form their own unique place, which is modeled after their own distorted desires."

"Hmmm…so, it is like the tv world."

"There is no such thing as a world inside of tv," Mona said.

"And there isn't a world under the subway either."

"He has a point, Mona," Ren said.

"What is the tv world like?" The lady in the red outfit said.

"Foggy…until someone get throw in. Instead of their large desires, it is the person's suppress desires. The tv world shape its self around it. Well, that is before we clean up. It is nice right now. Green fields…running steams. It is beautiful. We still have to keep an eye on it because other forces tend not leave it alone."

"What kind of forces?" Ren asked.

"Ones that like for you to fight to the death. There are the dancing ones too."

He would really like to forgot that one.

The group stared at him for a moment and started talking among themselves again.

"I don't know why we keep asking him these questions. He is crazy!" The angry talking cat said.

"I could stick my hand into a tv if you wish."

"You stick your hand into a tv?!" The one with skull mask said.

"How else would I get inside?"

One with the skull mask's mouth dropped. Ren and the one with the tail just started at him. The one with the fox mask looked at him in awe. The angry little talking cat stomped his paws on the ground.

"YOU ARE LYING!

"Are you calling Sensei a lair?!"

"HEE HO!"

"We let your tongues run long enough. It is time to end this!"

"MONA!"

He rose his hand to silence his shadow friends. He didn't want any fighting.

He frowned for a moment. In his head, he was trying to figure out why Mona was so against him. He tried to remember the conversations that he heard.

Oh….

"It is okay not to know everything. I don't know everything either…even if they do call me Sensei."

Mona's eyes widened and his body jerked.

"That isn't it!"

"He makes a very excellent point."

"FOX!"

"I think that Fox is right," The Skull one said.

"SKULL!"

"Okay…may I ask you a question?" He said as he watched Skull and Mona argue about him.

"Sure?" Ren said.

"What is with the names?"

"We are thieves and we use codenames while we are here. Joker is mine and Mona is his. He is Fox. She is Panther and he is Skull," Ren said as he pointed to everyone.

"Is there a reason?"

"We do it because this is the cognitive world or the Metaverse as we call it. We have no idea what our real names could do in that world."

"That is smart. Oh, do you guys want some cookies? I know fighting these places can be exhausting," He said as he offered some cookies from the bag.

"Tell me about it," Panther said as she took a cookie from the bag. Ren took one as well then Fox took the whole bag and started eating like no tomorrow.

Someone was hungry.

"HEY! You are supposed to share!" Lilim shouted.

"I am too!" Fox said.

"No, you aren't! You took the whole thing!"

"I was going to give them back!"

"An empty bag!"

He sighed. Out of the corner, he saw Black Frost go and get his bag. Few moments later, he returned with his bag. He grinned and patted Black Frost on the head. He took the bag and pulled out another pack of cookies.

"That is enough you two. I have a pack left," He said as he gave Lilim the pack of cookies.

Lilim and Fox stopped fighting.

"Awww….sorry, Sensei." Lilim said with a bow

"I am sorry, Sensei. That was very rude of me," Fox said with a bow as well.

"It is okay. You burn a lot of energy going through these places. You need it more than me," He said with a smile.

"I am always so tired after you know…Am I doing something wrong? Mona explained that I am not but…"

"You aren't doing anything wrong. How long have you had your persona?"

"A few months or so…"

"Your sense of self has been awakened. You are still adjusting. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay? Experience will help. You will get less tired but it lingered. Just clear out your schedule. Make sure that you get plenty of rest and food at the end of day. You will be fine. If not, just take a few days off to recover. Don't overdo it, okay?"

"Yes, Sen…Sensei," Panther said with a bow.

"What if you have multiple personas?" Ren asked softly.

 _How are you going to answer that one?! Remember the rules!_

"I am somewhat familiar with them. What is your question?"

Ren looked down at the ground and scratched the back of his head. It was like that he was embarrassed by the question.

"It is nothing. Sorry to bring it up."

He tilted his head slightly and waited for a moment.

"Man, you should totally ask him. Sensei seem to know a lot of stuff!" Skull said behind Ren.

Oh, so, that they stopped fighting and…Mona has a piece of cloth wrapped around his month.

Mona gave Skull and him evil looks.

"Maybe another time," He said.

Ren grinned.

"I will give you my number and you guys can call me anytime if you have questions."

"That would be wonderful," Fox said.

"Why are you down here anyway, Sensei?" Skull asked.

"I am checking out the shutdowns but the more and more that I am down here…I am beginning to see what I have to caught whoever is causing it in the act. This place changed too quickly to pin point a source. You?"

"We are changing the hearts of rotten adults!"

His eyes widen slightly.

"So the people on tv…"

"Yes, those are hearts that we changed," Ren said with nod.

"Remarkable," He said thoughtfully.

He had something else to think about it. He made a note to research a little later.

"YOU GUYS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? He knew about personas…Hell…" Mona shouted.

Someone got the piece of cloth out of his month.

"Yes, Sensei…why didn't you use your persona?" Fox asked.

"How do you use your personas?" He asked.

"Through our masks…"

"That explained it…I use it through a card. I think that there are different rules that apply to each world."

"Oh, that is why you don't have a mask or an outfit!" Panther said.

"And outfit?"

"Well…it came with the mask."

…Well, he was sticking the glasses…

"It is how you view yourself as a thief," Mona added.

"Oh…that explained a lot. I don't view myself as a thief," He said

"HEE HO!"

"Right, we should leave. The Reaper is coming soon," He said.

"Oh, right!"

He said good-bye to his shadow friends and climbed into the talking cat/van which now the strangest thing in his life.

He has got to say…it made travel easier.

Once they made to the entrance, he glanced at the Velvet Room and the two attendants staying by its door.

He made a note to tell Theo later.

"So…what are you seeking then?" Mona asked with a grumble.

"The truth."

End of The Conversation

Next Chapter: The Former

A/N: Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. So sorry for the lack of updates but I am back! I was stuck on a chapter then I realize that it didn't fit quite yet. So, I broke it apart sort of speak into two chapters. Once it figured that out, it took me a day to write the chapter. XD Go figure, right? The Mona/Yu conflict will go on a few more chapters before Yu actually do something about it (It won't be pretty). AP...I totally going to steal your Skull comment because it made me laugh so much. So, again...thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys are totally awesome. So, read and review if you wish.


	20. The Former

Catch-22: The Former

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu learns a lot from a very emotional attendant.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.-Richard Bach

Once he got Teddie to bed, he joined Theo in the kitchen. Theo was sitting at the counter with a cup in his hands. He was staring at the cup like it held the answers to the universe.

"Theo?" He said as he took a seat across from him.

"I failed, sir. I am so terrible sorry," Theo said as he stared at the mug.

"Theo…"

"I failed…I failed…I failed my master. I failed my family. I failed them all. Can you forgive me, sir?"

Theo was babbling and sobbing into his mug. He reached over and grabbed Theo's hand.

"I failed you too. I failed the boy too. I failed everyone. I am a worthless attendant. I failed…"

"Theo. Calm down."

Theo stopped crying and looked at him with sad eyes.

"Tell me what happened."

"I left my sisters in the progress of their search. So, I traveled for a bit. New Orleans had some fabulous food for me to try. Soon enough, I returned to my Master's side to find a fake. What a horrible creature to think that he could fool me. An attendant!" Theo said as he grabbed a bottle from under the counter beside him.

Where did that bottle come from?

He watched as Theo pour the liquid into his mug and set the bottle beside the cup. He took a huge sip from the mug.

"I demanded to know where my Master was. He laughed at me. LAUGHED!" Theo shouted as he got up from the table and slammed his fists down.

"That was an insult. Insult! Then I asked where my sister was. Lavenza is still so very young. I was worried. She just started her training and to think of that fake doing something to her makes my blood boil."

He didn't remember seeing an attendant by the door. He had no clue what happened to his sister.

"He said that he was taking very good care of her. My poor sister…I am so sorry…" Theo said as he wept. Gently, he squeezed Theo's hand.

"Theo…what happened next?"

"He said that I had a choice. I could leave and memory wipe of this event or I could "help." I would never help such a creature. So…I…and he…." Theo said as he sat down again and took a long drink from his mug.

He watched as Theo cried again into his mug.

"Theo?"

Theo continued to wept as he let go of his hand. His heart broke for Theo.

 _You are never going to get any answers out of him like this._

He wondered how Igor dealt with them. Igor never really said anything to Margaret while he was in the Velvet Room. He could tell that it was all about his presence. He took a deep breath and took on the pose that Igor often had in the Velvet Room.

"Theodore, that is enough." He said calmly.

Theo stopped crying and stared at him.

"Sir?"

"Tell me the rest."

"Yes, sir. So, I tried to fight the creature. I tried so hard and I couldn't. He tore me apart then shattered my powers. Lock them away and he laughed. He laughed at me and called me useless then he tossed me out. I wandered and wandered."

"Is that how you found me?"

"My powers may be shattered but I still have some of my senses. I can sense that he had done to you. Oh, sir…what have you done?"

"Kept myself in the game."

"Sir?"

"There are rules that I must follow. So, I can't speak about what happened."

Theo stared at him for a moment and wept again.

 _Honestly…_

He had a stressful day.

 _I thought that this guy was supposed to be all put together._

Very stressful day for him.

He got up from the counter and goes around the counter. He gently grabbed Theo's shoulder and guided him toward the sofa.

"A good night's sleep will help. We will talk about it again in the morning."

"Sir…what are you planning?" Theo said as he put his hand on Theo's shoulder to get him to sit down. Theo sat down on the sofa. He turned around and walked away for a moment. He went to the hall closet to get a blanket and a pillow. He returned to see Theo still on the sofa. He set the pillow on the sofa next to him.

"Tonight…I plan to go to bed. Tomorrow, I am going to take you and Teddie out into the city. Maybe invited some of my friends. Maybe, get you some clothes. Then we move from there." He said as he wrapped the blanket around Theo.

"Sir? How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because I don't know what he is planning. He is throwing around a lot of smoke and mirrors at the moment. Acting too soon could be dangerous."

"Acting too late is dangerous as well."

He pressed his lips together.

No, the fake Igor already said that he was still waiting for other players to show up for his game. So, whatever it is…it has to be big but he wasn't acting…yet.

"True but right now, I am going to watch."

Theo gave him this odd look.

"You remind me of my Master."

He sighed.

"Go to sleep, Theo."

"Sir?"

"Yes."

"Can I call you Master until my Master comes back?"

"Go to sleep."

He heard Isis whispered into his ear.

 _You didn't tell him that you plan to rip him apart._

-CATCH-

He felt the familiar pull of the Velvet Room. He made out the fake sitting on the desk again. He didn't move to approach him instead he leaned against the wall.

"Welcome again, my friend. I see that Theodore has found you," The fake said with a smile.

 _I really want to punch his big nose._

 _Me too!_

 _Count me in._

He smiled softly at his personas.

"More like you sent him."

The fake Igor's eye brow rose.

"Oh?"

He wasn't going to spell it out for him. He found that gods…or powerful creatures tend to follow the same MO.

They liked to cause despair. What would cause despair and hopelessness than once a powerful being broken. He remembered one conversation that he had with Izanagi after everything.

 _Despair is like a poison. Slow and deadly._

Is that why they used it? To break us?

 _There is no greater defeat than by your own hand._

He stared at the fake long enough for the fake's smile to drop slightly.

"No matter what you thought, my boy. I didn't send him. I do give him some credit. He has some strength in him. Enough to find you. Of course, you can use him as you see fit since you didn't break any rules with his appearance. I can imagine that he will be useful in some way to you."

 _Asshole._

The unknown persona laughed at High Pixie's words.

"I know. Is that why you summon me or you want to talk about your app?"

"Ahh…yes. You have discovered that world now. Beautiful, is it not?"

 _Beautiful?_

 _Creepy more like it._

"Interesting is the word that I was looking for."

"That is. I summon you to make sure that you clear understanding of the rules. You are starting to meet the players. I would hate for something to happen if you aren't careful."

 _Dick._

"Of course. I would like some clarification on how we know who is the winner and who is the loser."

"Quite simple. You or I are defeated," the fake said.

"When I found Igor. You?" He said.

"When the words of defeat come out of your month."

"Anything else?"

"You are aware of my attendants. Don't inference with them too much. They have their own role to play."

 _In other words, he doesn't want them aware._

He did something to them.

 _Correct._

"I am fine with that as long as they aren't harming him."

"Excellent. Excellent. You have definitely added something to the game. I look forward to it."

 _Cocky asshole._

"So do I."

-P4P5P4-

When he woke up the next morning, he saw Theo standing at the foot of his bed.

He looked a lot better than last night.

"Theo…how are you feeling?"

Theo bowed.

"I am well, Master. Thank you. Now, breakfast is ready."

He sighed.

He was really hoping that Theo would forget about that.

End of the Former

Next Chapter: The Mirror

A/N: Good, old Theo. Poor old Theo. XD But I have plans and it will be fun. I have been asked about Legend of Heroes cast and their role in the story. A part of me regrets introducing them because I won't get the focus on them as much as I would like but I know that I have some chapters dedicated just for them and Yu. The reason that I introduce them because if Yu and Rean met, they would totally get along. Again, thank you for the reviews, kudo, favorites, everything! And read and review if you wish.


	21. The Mirror

Catch-22: The Mirror

By: M14Mouse

Summary: For his first lesson…he watched okay, that wasn't very remarkable but it was so important.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"I don't know why he is here." Morgana said as he gave him a look.

"Will you chill? Sensei is here to watch us. He said that he can't help us without watching us first." Ryuji said.

"Probably to learn all of our secrets!"

"Dude, I think that he knows all of our secrets already!"

"HA! He doesn't know how we steal hearts!"

"Not until we show him how we work our magic."

"We aren't going to show him!"

"Are they always like this?" Yu asked as he watched the pair.

"Constantly," Ren said.

It's kind of remind him of watching Youske and Chie fight.

Ah.

Magician and Chariot.

 _So, you are catching on._

Margaret taught me well. 

"You sort learn to tune it out after a while," Ann said.

"Is this what you are looking for, Sensei?" Yusuke asked as he pointed ahead.

He looked around at the open space after Morgana burst opened a set of doors.

"Prefect. Mona, you can stop here," He said.

"Why here? There is nothing here." Morgana said as he stopped.

The group got out of the van. He watched Mona turned from a van to a talking cat.

"That is the point. It will give me a chance to watch and not be in the way." He said.

"I don't know why you have to watch. We are doing perfectly fine!" Mona said.

"Well, I don't think that we know what we are doing. Besides, I asked for his help."

He remembered that phone call well.

 _After they left the Mementos, they exchanged numbers. He also had the chance to watch their outfit changed._

 _He was really glad that he only had to deal with glasses._

 _Honestly, he thought that was it for now. Maybe, they would call in a week or so._

 _But Ann called the next day…_

" _I want to make sure that I am doing this right," Ann said over the phone._

" _Excuse me?" He said as he balanced the phone on his shoulder._

" _My persona."_

" _Ann…I told you…"_

" _I know what you told me but…."_

 _He heard that tone before. The self-doubt. The confusion. He felt like that he pulled back in time to his home and his friends. The others looked up to him. He was first. First doesn't mean best. He guided them just the same like they did him._

 _These thieves didn't have such luxury._

 _They have no one to guide them. He doesn't count that fake. He was probably planning to lead them to ruin._

 _Most of all, how long has Ann felt like this?_

 _How long has all of them felt this way?_

" _We can do it this afternoon or tomorrow. I can't do it later in the week because I have plans," He said._

" _Really! Thanks, Sensei. This afternoon will be great! I will call the others! Oh, Thank you so much!" Ann said in excitement._

"Lady Ann…" Mona said.

"Okay, what do you want us?" Ann said as she put her hands on her hips.

"I want to see you guys in combat then we will move from there. I saw a little bit from before. This will allow me to see everything." He said as he walked away and leaned against one of the large pillars in the area.

"That makes sense."

Morgana grumbled as he turned himself back into a car. The others got into the car. Mona drove around a bit before a shadow appeared. That is when Mona hit the shadow.

…

Okay, then.

He watched as the shadow burst into individual shadows. The others jumped out of the van and Mona returned to normal.

After a few minutes of fighting, he figured out.

With Ann…it was the easiest to identify and the hardest to fix. He heard from the last time they were here and their conversation on the phone.

He heard it from Yukiko's voice.

Self-doubt.

" _Are you sure that I am doing this right?"_ _Yukiko said as her persona hit the shadow with a fire spell._

" _To me. It looked like that you were doing it right," He said._

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Pretty sure."_

" _It looked good to me," Youske said._

" _Same here," Chie added._

"… _."_

"… _."_

" _Are you sure?"_

Ryuji was so easy to figure it out. He had the same problem as Chie and in some ways…Kanji. He is so over focus at what he doing that he missed what is going on around him. On the positive, Ryuji and his persona work well together. It is strange. It made him feel like that he was looking into the past.

" _God damn…stay still!" Chie shouted as her attack missed the shadow._

" _Shadows don't stay still, Chie," Yosuke shouted._

" _Well..they better stay still!"_

" _Chie…calm down," He said._

" _I will calm down once it is dead!"_

 _Chie's next attack hit the shadow hard._

" _SEE! Told you that I would get you!"_

" _Uh…Chie…I think that it is dead," Yosuke said._

" _NO! It isn't!"_

" _I would leave it be, Yosuke." He said as he watched on._

" _I am thinking that you are right, partner."_

Yusuke was the latest member of their group but he could already see the similarities between him and Naoto. Their moves were prefect but utterly empty.

 _Naoto grumbled to herself._

" _Naoto…is something wrong?" He asked._

" _It is nothing."_

" _It must be something if it is bothering you." Kanji added._

" _It just that…my persona. Its speed and agility surpass the others but it lacks something."_

" _Don't be so hard on yourself, man. You are new."_

" _That is the point. I am new and I need to catch up. It is important that…never mind. Right now, there is a group of shadows ahead," Naoto said._

" _Man…" Kanji said._

 _He touched Kanji's shoulder._

But he wasn't too worried because he knew from experience that Yusuke will find his fire. Now, Morgana's problem was similar to Yosuke and Teddie's problem. They were trying to be everywhere at once.

" _I am coming, Sensei. I am coming!" Teddie shouted as he rushed from behind Chie._

" _Stay there, you stupid bear! I got this! I can attack and provide cover!" Yosuke said._

" _No, Sensei needs me here! I can do both!"_

" _No, Yu needs you there."_

" _No, I am going there!"_

" _Enough. Yosuke, I want you at the rear because of your weakness to wind. Teddie, I need you on the left with an attack ready. I know that both of you want to provide cover but I need at your positions," He shouted._

Strangely enough…that didn't take him that long to straighten out that behavior.

Okay…punching thing might also play a role.

Ren's problem took him a little bit more time to figure out. At first, he thought it was how his masks worked. He had no idea how his masks worked in compensation to his cards. The longer that he watched, the more he realized that wasn't the case.

Ren was hesitating and he didn't know why.

Hmmm….

 _He is afraid._

Of what?

 _Himself…_

Maybe?

It was something that he had to ask Ren later.

Now as a team, he could see the kinks. He wasn't too worried about that since with new members, there was always a shift. The longer the battle went on, the smoother their teamwork went. He was impressed with Ren's leadership and their teamwork.

"ALRIGHT! Another bites the dust!" Ryuji shouted in victory as the last shadow disappeared.

"See? I don't know why we need that stupid person here. We are perfection!" Morgana said with a grin.

"I do feel that I am getting better," Yusuke said.

"You guys did great," Ren added.

"Sensei?" Ann said as she turned to him.

"As a team, there a few missteps here and there. The longer the battle went on, the more your teamwork came together. Re…Joker? Great job on leading them through that last attack by the way," He said.

Ren flushed.

"Thanks," Ren said with a mumble.

"Now…individuals…Ann…you are fiery as your persona but you are doubting yourself. Some of your attacks don't follow through because of that doubt. Is there some disconnect between you and your persona?" He asked.

"NO! Carmen is awesome! It is me!"

"Well, maybe…I hope to work with you to find the cause."

Ann bowed.

"Thank you, sensei! I won't disappoint." She said.

"Lady Ann…You don't believe that…" Morgana said.

"Okay, I am next!" Ryuji shouted.

"You and your person work well together. Almost as good as Ren's personas but…you almost become hyper focus on the battlefield. That shadow's attack almost took off your head because you were too focus on the other shadow. We are going to work on awareness."

"Wow…you notice that from one fight….Damn…" Ryuji said in awe.

"Okay…he has a point with you but honestly…I could have told…" Morgana snapped at Ryuji.

"Well…I didn't ask you."

He sighed as Ryuji and Morgana started fighting again.

"My turn, sensei." Yusuke said.

"You are new but your moves are precise and clean. That is very impressive but I get the impression that you are going through the motions. I am not sure if you still trying to figure out everything or it is something else. I hope we can work that out together."

"I…Of course, Sensei," Yusuke said with a bow.

"Now…Mon…" He said before he was cut off.

"No, I am not doing anything wrong!" Morgana shouted.

"I am not…"

"NO! I am not going to hear this!" Morgana said as he turned into a van and drove off.

He sighed.

 _You going to have to do something about him._

I know. I know.

End of The Mirror

Next Chapter: Break in Play: The Pancakes

A/N: This was the chapter that stumped me until it went through a split. The split seemed to be a good thing since the chapter I just finished is my longest chapter to date. A reviewer asked me about Yu's personas which I thought I touched on but I might have not. I draw from the anime for Yu's personas. Reason…I am lazy. I have no desire go through 100s of persona to make Yu's team. So, that is that. Again, thank you for the wonderful support. You guys are awesome! Read and review if you wish.


	22. Break in Play: The Pancakes

Catch-22: Break in Play: The Pancakes

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Did someone say something about pancakes?

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Ren wasn't going to lie…but he thought that the tv station would be more exciting.

It turned out that it was very…boring.

He and Ryuji had to fight off their yawns. The host was trying to keep them somewhat entertained but it was so boring. It didn't help that some creepy camera assistant hit on Ann and made them work.

One thing for sure…he did not want to work in a tv station ever again.

Then came…Akechi.

"He heard me!" Morgana shouted.

"Shh…keep down. And I know."

"So, we have two suspects now."

"I really don't think that Sensei is the man in the black mask."

"You can't be sure! He is sneaky and…"

He sighed and shifted the bag on his back. Morgana hasn't quite let go of the fact that Sensei told him off.

Morgana also didn't like that Sensei notice something about their fight in Mementos either. He took off before Sensei could say anything.

He did wonder on what he was about to say to Morgana.

"….and thinks that he knows it all."

"You know…he did say that he didn't know everything."

"Well….I still don't trust him."

He shook his head.

"I am thinking after the whole tv station thing is over. We call a group meeting to talk about Akechi."

"Good idea. Now, lets talk about dinner."

"You just ate dinner."

"I threw it up!"

He sighed.

Some days…

-P4P5P4-

The mood after the tv program was somber. Ryuji look like all of the energy was drain from his body. He could see the hard lines on Ann's face. Morgana was strangely quiet as well.

"It kinda seem like what he was saying might be right…" Ann said as she stopped for a moment.

"He made it sound like we're the baddies. I don't like it." Ryuji added.

"But that stuff about the police…Do you think it's for real?"

"He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves," Morgana said.

"Oh sorry, I gotta got take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I'll be right back?" Ryuji said.

"Oh my god…I'm going gonna keep going, ok?" Ann said before she turned around and left.

"Oh, it's you…!" Akechi called out.

He turned to see Akechi walking toward him.

"I'm glad that I found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis…," Akechi said.

….? What in the world is he talking about?

"Haha…my apologies. What I mean is that our discussion is quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier. Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adult say. I feel like our discussions could be quite fruitful. Would you mind talking with me again?"

"Fine by me," He said.

"AKECHI!" A familiar voice shouted out.

He twisted around to see Sensei waving and walking toward them. He glanced over to see Akechi's face brighten up slightly.

"Narukami," Akechi said with a wave.

"I was glad that I was able to catch you before you left. The train was running a little bit behind. I was worried that I would miss you," Sensei said.

"I told that you didn't have to come."

"Ahh…that conversation again. I believe that I ended it with pancakes."

Akechi laughed softly.

"Oh, hello, Ren. Came to watch the tv show?" Sensei asked.

"Social studies field trip," He mumbled.

"Ahh…I don't miss those. Although in college, they turn them into educational experiences."

Akechi looked from him to Sensei.

"Do you know each other?" Akechi asked.

"I am his tutor…well…more like his group tutor. Ann's parents hired me since she was having trouble in English. I found Ann works best in a group environment. So…group tutoring," Sensei said smoothly.

 _Wow…he said that off the top of his head._

He wasn't going to lie…that was impressive.

"And you talk about me being busy. Hmmm…" Akechi said thoughtfully. Akechi rubbed his chin with a slight smile on his face.

"You caught me red handed," Sensei said with a laugh.

"Hey, man…thanks for…uhhh," Ryuji said as he ran toward them and then stopped. He looked to him then Akechi and then Sensei. He had this confusion expression on his face. He was right there with him.

"Hello…uh…"

Sensei smiled.

"Hello, Ryuji. Akechi and I are about to have some pancakes. You two are welcome to come along. The bill is on me."

"Uhh…." Ryuji said as he looked at him.

"Sure, why not? Especially if you are paying…." He said.

"I don't turn down free food," Ryuji added.

"You don't have to do that," Akechi said. 

"I remember you paid for our sushi trip. Beside, I can pay for this one," Sensei said.

"You are too good of a friend."

"Well, that is settled. Let get moving, huh?"

He nodded as they started walking toward the exit.

It was strange. He saw people trying to approach Akechi then stop in their tracks. Sensei would smile at them and wave. The poor people couldn't help but wave back when he did. Sensei was totally defecting any fans from approaching Akechi.

Akechi didn't seem to notice…if he did, he didn't say anything.

 _Can we be like him when we grow up?_

He almost agreed with Hua-Po beside the fact that Akechi was their possible man in the black mask.

"Can those two be more boring? I thought that those two were talk about something exciting instead of that…!" Ryjui said.

"I know but I don't think that Akechi wants to talk about his cases all day," He said.

"I know but man…cooking!"

They filed into the Pancake Palace and got a seat near the back where Sensei and Akechi continue to talk about cooking.

"Pasta isn't that hard especially Gyudon," Sensei said in amusement.

"Apparently, for me, I turned it into a mess," Akechi said with a laugh.

"When you have a day off, I am going to teach you how to cook something easy. Perhaps, a stir fry?"

"You can try, my friend. I will always be a prisoner to convenience store meals."

"Man, me too especially the one down from the arcade. It has the best Fried Karaage," Ryuji added.

"Really? I find the best Bento sets at the convenience store in the subway," Akechi added.

"I passed that every day…I didn't know that. Have you tried Egg Sandwich at…"

He felt like that he fell into alternate universe as he listened to Ryuji and Akechi talk about convenience store meals even after they ordered and the food set at their table. He glanced over at Sensei, who looked amused as he ate his pancakes.

Morgana was busy mumbling about stupid idiots.

"You know, I make pretty good curry and he talks about Mochifuwa Pancake like it is best thing ever. I guess that I am just making curry for Ann and Yusuke now," He said to Sensei.

"The same…I guess that I am making lasagna for myself now. Of course, I could make for you and the others. Have you tried lasagna before?" Sensei said with a grin.

He almost laughed at Ryuji and Akechi's horrified expressions. He watched as Sensei covered his mouth with his hand…probably to stop laughing.

"Dude, you wouldn't…"

"Yu…."

"I don't believe I have. What is it?" He said….trying to keep a straight face.

"It is an Italian dish but there are different varieties to the dish. I like to play around with it. Akechi and my other friend, Teddie like it more with a lot of cheese. A few of my other friends like the meatier version. A few like it with more vegetables. Now…if I was making arroz con leche…."

"That sounds delicious."

It really did.

"No, it doesn't…it probably tastes like shoes," Morgana mumbled.

"It is! I am quite fond of those little rolls as well…what are they called again?" Akechi said.

"Swiss Rolls but I don't like to make them as sweet as the American version," Sensei said.

"Man…I know! Sensei and Ren should totally cook for us! It will be great. You should totally come too, Akechi," Ryuji said in excitement.

"I…I….," Akechi said in shock.

"I like it how we aren't even asked to cook," Sensei said with a smile.

"I know. We could say no."

"We could. Imagine if we left them to cook."

"It would be terrible."

"Truly…but…I suppose that I could use that as a reward if you do well on your exams,"

"Aww…man," Ryuji said.

"I think that it is a good reward," He said.

 _You two are trolling these boys so badly. I am almost proud of you._

He wasn't going to stick his tongue at Cu Chulainn…but he thought about it.

Ryuji's phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket.

"Man…I got to go…but this was fun. We have to do it again," Ryuji said as he got up from the booth.

"Yes, this was enjoyable," Akechi said.

Ryuji waved as he left. Sensei got up from his place.

"I'm going to pay and go to bathroom," Sensei said as he left to head to the bathroom.

Akechi looked over at him.

"I enjoy today. It was insightful," Akechi said.

"I expect you have a list of new meals to try," He said.

Akechi laughed.

"Yes, I do. I look forward to more insight from you and the others," He said.

It hit him like the others.

 _I am thou, thou art I._

 _Thou hast acquired a new vow._

 _It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh_

 _Thy chains of captivity.  
With the birth of the Justice persona._

 _I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom_

 _And new powers._

Akechi's phone rang too. He sighed as he took it out of his pocket and looked at it.

"Duty calls. I do tell Yu that I had to leave. Of course, I will text him the message as well," Akechi said as he got up to leave.

"Of course," He said with a nod. He watched as Akechi left. Few minutes later, Sensei returned.

"I see everyone left," Sensei said.

"Yes, Akechi and Ryuji received calls and had to leave."

"I suppose that I should take the hint to get going,"

"I suppose so but I do have a question."

"What do I need to work on in school?

He really hoped that Sensei got the hint. Unlike Ryuji, he had some sense.

Sensei took a seat and stared at him for a moment.

"You hesitant. It is brief but I caught it every time."

He jolted for a moment. He didn't think anyone notice.

"He doesn't hesitant at all! I don't know what you are talking about," Morgana said in the bag.

 _Interesting. He is right._

I know. 

"Why do you say that?"

"At first, I thought that it just how you work. Different schools have different ways, of course,"

In other words, different persona users have different powers and different ways to use those powers.

"But the more that I watch, the more I saw it. I am not sure if you are unsure of yourself…or your pe…choices that you have on hand. I plan to work on your confident in and outside of school."

He felt it in his head again…Two in one day….

 _I am thou, thou art I._

 _Thou hast acquired a new vow._

 _It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh_

 _Thy chains of captivity.  
With the birth of the World persona._

 _I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom_

 _And new powers._

"…it's begins," Sensei said.

He jolted out of his thoughts and stared at Sensei, who had a small smile on his face.

"Sensei?"

"Sorry…I said that we should begin soon. So, we have time before exams."

Sensei's smile grew…like he knew what just happened.

Sensei remind him a lot of Igor.

He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

End of the Pancakes

Next Chapter: The Session

A/N: One of the things that bother me about Persona 5 is the relationship between Akechi and the Persona 5 crew. You suppose to care about this guy at the end but I felt nothing. There was no real relationship between the crew. So, as a writer, I decided to do something about it. Yes, at this point, some events will change. I also didn't know that fact in Persona 4: Golden. The more you know…Anyway, thank you for the reviews, kudo, the favorites…you guys are awesome! Read and review if you wish.


	23. The Session

Catch-22: The Session

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Rean and Yu have a conversation about everything over a nice sparring session.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach."

― Aristotle

"I heard that you are tutoring now," Rean said with the strike of his sword against his.

"Yes. It is a group of them from a local high school. One of them had a problem and it snowballed from there," Yu said as he pulled Rean's sword away from his.

"What are the subjects?"

"History…math…Probably, English too if I judge by their notes."

"Wow…someone is going to busy."

"Says the guy who jumped to help to the Class President every chance they get."

"She doesn't do it on purpose!"

He laughed at his friend.

"Not everyone was happy that I was tutoring them."

"Oh?"

" _Why is he here again?!" Morgana said angrily._

" _He was right about last time. So, I want his help to be better," Ann said._

" _I can help you too! I don't know why you need some…"_

 _Ann gave Morgana a look and he instantly shut up._

 _Huh…interesting…_

" _Okay, we can start now," Ann said as she turned to him._

 _He nodded._

" _Give me a moment," He said as he turned away from the others. He walked to his shadow friends were nearby watching them._

" _You came back early!" Lilim said._

" _Yes, they needed some help. I am going to your help," He said as he kneed in front of them._

" _Of course, man," Incubus said._

" _HEE HOO!" Black Frost said._

" _I need to you watch out for any shadows while I train, okay?" He asked._

" _Okay!"_

" _Hee Hoo!"_

" _Is that dangerous, man?" Incubus asked._

" _There is always a danger to these sorts of things."_

" _Hmmm…OH! Here!" Incubus said with a smile. He handed him another card._

" _Thank you. You know…I am not sure what to do with these cards."_

" _You will figure it out, Sensei! You are smart."_

 _He examined the card carefully. He knew the back of the card well. It was something that he saw in the Velvet Room and the back of his own cards. The face of the card was different. The image was different from his cards. The background was black with a single bolt of lighting cutting through it._

 _Ziodyne_

 _You are getting quite a collection, kid._

 _It seemed so. There are different from my other cards. I am guessing that this is your doing?_

 _The persona grumbled._

 _He sighed softly when the persona didn't say anything else._

 _Maybe, if he took him to the tv world that he would be more willing to talk to him there._

 _Something to think about later. He put the card into his pocket and turned to Ann._

" _Come here, An…sorry, Panther."_

"Ann?"

"Yes…she approached me first. She is smart. I think that her biggest obstacles are her self-doubt and she keep second guessing herself."

"That will do you in during exams."

"Truly."

" _Yes, Sensei?" Ann said as she approached him._

" _Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your persona."_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _Persona by definition is a projection or a mask that we wear for the world."_

" _Uhh…"_

 _He scratched the back of his head._

" _I am going to have to explain that better. My persona is…how do I describe him. He is a watcher. He is aloof from the world…some may even describe him as cold. In reality, he is a big softie."_

 _He grinned at Izanagi as he groaned. The other personas laughing or giggling._

" _But…you aren't like that, Sensei."_

" _Before my persona, I moved around a lot. So many places and new faces all of the time. At first, I would try…then as I got older, I thought to myself…what was the point? I am just going to move again. It was lonely. I was lonely. I realize speaking those words to my parents meant nothing until now."_

" _What happened?"_

" _I found friends and a family. Now…enough about me. Tell me about you. If makes it easier, your persona."_

" _She…Carmen is in charge…She takes no crap from anyone. If she doesn't break you, she bend you to her will. Uhh….I am kind of like her. I am not as brazen but I do speak my mind."_

" _She is also hot!" Skull shouted._

" _SKULL!" Ann said as she turned to Skull._

" _If makes you feel better, you aren't too bad looking yourself."_

" _SKULL!"_

 _He shook his head as Ann and Mona shouted at Skull. He laughed then he put his hand gently on Ann's shoulders. He didn't want her to lose focus._

" _Now…tell me what Carmen just said."_

 _Ann jerked._

" _How did you…?"_

" _I know. Mine can be quite chatty."_

 _High Pixie giggled inside of his head._

" _I didn't hear everything but…she said that Skull is a typical man lead by his…"_

" _Okay…Okay…I get the idea. Now, close your eyes and focus on her voice." He said with a smile._

" _Okay…Okay…" Ann said as she closed her eyes._

" _Your element is fire, correct?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _I want you to focus on casting fire spell. Remember to listen to Carmen's voice."_

 _He stepped away and watched as Ann closed her eyes and touched her mask. He could see fire grow from Carmen' finger tips._

" _Release when you are ready."_

 _Few seconds later, a ball of fire hit the wall._

" _ooooo…." Lilim said as she clapped._

" _Impressive but you lost focus toward the end. Try again."_

" _Okay…I…."_

 _Ann and Carmen let out another fire ball._

 _Okay…he is going to have to change it up._

" _Okay, I am going to try something else. I want you and Carmen to listen to my voice."_

"So, did it work? The guided meditation?" Rean said. 

"A little bit." He said.

 _A huge ball of fire hit the wall and left a black mark._

 _The shadows and the other thieves clapped._

" _WOW!" Lilim shouted._

" _That is most impressive," Fox said._

" _Hee Hoo," Black Frost said as he went over to give Ann a high five. Ann giggled as she gave a high five right back._

" _Right on, sis," Incubus said._

" _That was totally awesome," Ryuji said._

 _He grinned slightly at Ann's excitement._

" _Very good, Ann. You made the first step. We will continue to work on your focus and then bring into combat situations. But that is for later, for now, I am very proud of you."_

 _Ann beamed then bowed._

" _Okay, Skull. You're next."_

"Really? A paper ball?"

Actually, it was a form ball but he didn't want to say that.

"Ann suggested a water ball."

Rean chuckled.

"That was nicer than my Master," Rean said.

"What did he hit you with? A stick?" He asked.

"His walking stick."

"Ouch."

"It wasn't too bad. The water ball sound kind of mean."

"It would get his attention."

Rean laughed.

" _Sensei!" Ryuji shouted as he got hit with a form ball again._

" _Yes? Thank you." He said as Incubus brought back the ball. Incubus beamed before going back to his spot._

" _Shadows aren't going to throw balls at me."_

" _No, they will be throwing worse at you. You know that as well I. They are ruthless."_

 _That got Ryuji's attention. He really didn't want to do this but he might have to._

" _Black Frost? Can you come here for a moment?"_

" _Hee Ho!"_

 _Black moved from his spot to him._

" _Freeze the ball if you please," He said._

" _Sensei?" Ryuji said._

" _Do you think that is wise?" Yusuke said._

" _Wise…perhaps, not. Necessary…yes. Start again, Skull. Hit the wall."_

 _Ryuji looked nervous toward him then he turned away. He and his persona hit with a weak physical attack. He turned his attention to Black Frost._

" _Freeze it."_

 _He leaned over and Black Frost touched the ball in his hand. He felt the coldness seep into the ball and hand._

" _Thank you."_

 _He began to circle around Ryuji as he continued to attack the wall. He could tell that he was still nervous. He just has to wait until the right moment. He watched as Ryuji got a little bit more comfortable._

 _Without warning, he threw the ball. Ryuji must have paid enough attention for him to move out of the way._

 _Barely…_

 _The ball hit the wall and broke into a million pieces._

 _He grinned._

" _Good job, Skull!"_

 _Ryuji looked like that he was about to have a heart attack._

 _Well…one way of getting the job done._

" _Damn…"_

 _He clapped his hands._

" _Okay…Mona is next!"_

"Morgana was the hardest one."

"Really? I thought that he would be the easiest. How you describe him…he sounded really smart."

"Smart but hardest one."

"What did you have to do?"

"Well…"

" _No, I am not going next. I don't need your training," Morgana said angrily._

" _Mona…Sensei is being nice to train us," Ann said._

" _No! We don't need him!"_

" _I think that we do," Ren said._

 _Morgana gave Ren an angry look._

" _No! To him! It is some type of game!"_

 _Those words slammed into his head. It has been years since he heard those words from a different mouth. He rose his hand to stop his shadow friends from reacting. He needed to do this._

 _High Pixie hissed._

 _Mot grumbled and moaned._

 _Game! Game! That insolent cat! I will rip off his skin and wear it as a coat._

 _Silence. Let him handle this._

 _Izanagi's words made the others quiet down._

 _He debated about what to do about Morgana._

 _Teddie…he could talk to and he would listen to him. Yosuke…after the whole punching thing, he could talk to him as well._

 _He even asked Ren what he could do with Morgana once he told him what he was doing wrong in battle._

 _Ren sighed and said Morgana would avoid him if he pressed. Then he told Ren his plan…well…_

 _He was going to press him…he was going to have to break him._

" _A game?"_

" _Yes! You think that you could walk right in and change how we do things. You know nothing about this world and you think that you can train us. Ha! Don't make me laugh. TV world is probably nothing but…"_

" _Again…you refuse to see the truth. You allow your fears to blind you. Perhaps, even protect you. I will show some of the truth…," He said as he unbuttoned his shirt._

" _The tv world is unyielding and merciless. It burns, bruises, cuts and breaks." He said as he turned around to show the other the scar along his back. He didn't like to show it often. It tended to upset Teddie and strangely enough his uncle._

 _He heard Ann's and Lilim's grasps._

" _Holy shit," Ryuji said._

" _My word.." Yusuke said._

 _He pulled back up shirt and rebutton it. He turned back around to see Morgana trembling._

 _He was staring at him with this look but his eyes were telling him a different story._

 _Fear…_

" _That is not…nothing! He probably…got that from…I know…an accident! Yes, accident!" Morgana said in a panic._

 _He was going to have to push a little bit more…_

 _He walked over to his bag and pulled out his sword. Slowly, he removed the sheath from the blade._

" _This is Tsubaki-Otoshi. I found it in Yomotsu Hirasaka. Right before my fight with Izanami-no-Okami," He said as he stared at the blade._

 _It was still in good condition. When he goes home again, he was going to have the blacksmith check it over him._

 _Just in case…_

 _Always just in case._

" _Wait a minute…you fought against a god!" Ryuji said in surprise._

" _Yes. It is the same weapon that I will be fighting you with," He said calmly._

 _His personas exploded in his head. Almost enough to make him pause._

 _ARE YOU CRAZY?_

 _INSANITY!_

 _Foolish child._

 _ENOUGH!_

 _Izanagi's voice cut them like lightening._

" _What?! You can't take me on! You don't have a persona." Morgana said with a smug look on his face._

 _He stared at Morgana for a long moment. His smug expression turned into a frown._

" _Aren't you going to stop him?" Yusuke asked._

" _No…this is Morgana's issue with Sensei. We have let Morgana straighten it out," Ren said._

" _Then you have the advantage. Let's see if you use it. Now…I am willing to make a one-time deal with you."_

" _Oh?"_

" _If you win the fight, I will leave and never come back. If I win, you are off the team."_

" _What?! You have no persona. You can't help them!"_

" _I will learn and adapt. It can't be that hard."_

" _It can't be that hard?!"_

" _Do you accept?" He said as he cut Morgana off._

" _I accept," Morgana said with his head held high._

" _The rules are simple. The first one to submit, wins. No one will get involve until one of us submit. Understand the rules?"_

" _Yes."_

 _He threw the sheath away from him and got into fighting position. Briefly, Morgana got into a fighting stance before he started to focus._

" _Zorro! Lucky punch!"_

 _He saw Morgana's persona appear behind him. Well…he definitely looked like a Zorro. His persona left out a lucky punch which he easily moved out of the way. Quickly, he rushed toward Morgana. He watched as Morgana panicked a little before he moved out of the way._

 _He knew that he couldn't out run or get within striking distance of Morgana. He was fast. No, he was going to have to wait for Morgana to come to him._

 _The attack might hurt a little._

 _He back away when Morgana moved away. Morgana looked like that he was about to use his persona again._

" _Gurala!"_

 _That is what he was waiting for…_

 _He swung his sword and stuck it into the ground. He gripped the blade hard as he could as the wind attack hit him._

" _AWWW!" Morgana screamed toward him._

 _For thieves, they make a lot of noise._

 _He lifted his right arm to defend himself. He bit his lip when he felt Morgana's claws cut into his clothes and skin. He let go of his blade handle and grabbed Morgana's bandana. Morgana let out scream when he slammed him into the ground. He used one hand to hold him in place while he grabbed his blade and pressed the blade against Morgana's neck._

" _Yield," He said as he stared at Morgana, who was struggling against his blade._

" _No!"_

" _Yield."_

" _No, I won't!"_

 _He saw the panic on Morgana's face. He was utterly terrified. The tears were rolling down Morgana's face._

" _Yield."_

" _No. No. Nonononono."_

" _Yield."_

" _Please…don't make me yield. I don't want to."_

" _Why won't you yield?"_

" _Because I don't want to leave! I…I…I don't want to be kicked off the team. I…I…"_

" _That isn't enough. Why, Morgana?"_

" _I…I…I don't want to be alone again! I like being usefulness and needed! And…and…"_

" _With me here, you are afraid of…?"_

" _I am afraid that I wouldn't be useful anymore. I won't be a part of the team anymore…"_

" _Oh, Mona…that isn't true at all," Ren's voice said behind him._

 _He removed the blade from Morgana's neck and let him up. He made a face with the sudden pain to his arm. He looked down at the deep cuts along his arm._

 _He was going to feel that tomorrow._

 _He moved away from the group to allow them to talk. His shadow friends instantly surrounded him as he leaned against a pillar._

" _Man, that was amazing," Incubus said._

" _Sensei! You are hurt!" Lilim said._

" _I have a first aid kit in my bag. Would you get them for me?" He said as he took a seat._

" _Yes, Sensei."_

" _Hee Hoo?" Black Frost said as he touched his arm._

 _He smiled a little as Black Frost numb the pain._

" _Thank you," He said as he patted Black Frost's head._

" _Joker is right, man. You are one of us. Who cares if you don't know everything," Ryuji said as he scratched his head._

" _As you notice, we don't either…" Ren said with a smile._

" _That is right. Beside, aren't we trying to figure out this whole thing together," Ann said._

" _And get your memories back," Yusuke said._

" _You guys…," Morgana said before bursting into tears._

 _He smiled softly. Morgana needed this._

 _Lilim returned with his first aid kit. He opened it and grabbed a pair of scissors. He was probably going to have to cut the shirt off._

 _He sighed…he liked this shirt._

" _Sensei! You're hurt!" Ann's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the other rushed toward him._

" _Here…let me heal you." Morgana said as he called his persona and casted a healing spell._

 _He watched as the cuts become smaller and smaller until they were gone. He moved his arm around a bit._

" _Good as new. Thank you, Mona," He said with a smile._

 _Morgana bowed._

" _I am very sorry for my behavior, Sensei. It won't happen again."_

" _I wanted to realize that you aren't alone, Mona. Not anymore."_

" _I know…I know…it just hard, sometimes."_

" _Sometimes, it is…I am sure that the others will be more than happy to teach you that particular lesson."_

" _Uh…Sensei…?"_

" _Yes."_

" _I am not kicked off the team, am I?"_

" _Of course, not."_

 _You have balls of steel, kid._

 _What do you expect? A warrior is nothing but a gambler in a suit of armor._

"Wow…you did that?" Rean said.

"I am impressed that it worked too. Morgana was a hard case to crack," He said.

"Will the two of you stop talking like a pair of old ladies and fight?" Junais shouted from the stands.

"Go, Sensei!" Teddie shouted from the stands.

"Go, Rean!" Elliot shouted with Teddie.

He laughed.

"Shall we?"

"I think we shall."

End of the Session

Next chapter: The Talk

A/N: One of my original thoughts for this fic: what was I going to do with Mona? I always thought that the other thieves sort adapted themselves around Mona's behaviors and even excuse some of his behavioral flaws. Yu, on the other hand, would not…could not excuse those behaviors especially when it put himself of the others in danger. So, this chapter was basically Yu punching Mona in the face to knock some sense into him. As for The World Ranks, I haven't quite figure out what they are. I know Yu will be unlock like Akechi (when he joins the team). As always thank you for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc, I am always graceful. Your reviews are insightful. So, read and review if you wish!


	24. The Talk

Catch-22: The Talk

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu decides to have a talk with the persona inside of his head.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.-Jim Morrison 

Yu decided today would be a good day to go inside of the tv.

The others said that they were busy over the next couple of days. He wasn't quite sure what that meant but he wasn't going to ask until it was an issue.

Or he saw them on tv.

He chuckled softly as he reached out and touch the tv screen. He knew if he pressed his hand a little harder….

"I will answer any phone calls or messages while you are gone, Master," Theo said behind him.

"Thanks, Theo," He said.

No matter what he said, he couldn't get Theo stop calling him Master. So, he dropped the matter and set some boundaries.

Like not standing over his bed when he woke up….

"Be safe, Master," Theo said with a bow.

He nodded as he pressed his hand into the tv. He felt the familiar sensation of the tv melting around his hand. He ducked his head inside and stepped into the tv world. Unlike home where he would normally fall into the tv world, it is a smooth step from one world to another. Another difference, the tv world here was more like floating islands.

Of course, they talked about it and theorized that it was the location. Small towns…everyone wanted to know who you are…where you are from. They guessed that why the tv world was more connected. Here? It doesn't matter as much.

He watched for a moment to see a small island float by. It looked peaceful enough to him. There is a mist in the air but it wasn't thick like the fog.

 _Finally! We can move our legs!_

 _Hee Ho!_

 _Ooo…look at that, Isis. I believe they are sparring on that one._

He grinned slightly at the others' excitement.

Well…what do you think?

The other persona didn't answer for a moment.

 _Interesting sort of place._

It is, isn't it?

 _Come here often, lad?_

Often enough.

The persona crackled.

 _Now, what do you want to talk to me about?_

What is your deal with the fake Igor?

The persona grumbled.

 _That asshole can burn in a hole for a thousand years. I should have my wolves tear him from limb to limb._

He almost step back when he felt the persona's hatred and anger.

What happened?

 _I was stupid, kid. Funny little god came into my realm and wanted to play a game. I never turn down a good game. So, I decided to play. I made a bargain and lost. That is my fault but that asshole should have known. That is my world. MINE! Sooo…_

What did you do?

 _He had me at a lost. I made my lost as painful as I could be for him._

He waited for the persona to continue but he didn't. He frowned for a moment. What could be…oh…OH!

You struck yourself to him sort of speak.

The persona laughed.

 _You figured it out, boy. Good. The asshole hated it. I kept getting in the way. It has been fun._

And now?

The persona grumbled. He sighed. High Pixie giggled and Iris rolled her eyes.

You made another bargain.

 _Game if you will but yes….so, you are doing good, lad. My money is on you._

Even if you are spying on me.

 _How?!_

He shrugged his shoulders. He had High Pixie and Mot keep an eye on him.

So, if I lose, you win.

 _That would be too eas…_

He heard the familiar sound of a blade drawn from its sheath.

 _Will you put that thing away? I am not going to hurt the lad. I thought that it would be easy but hell, I have been in your head long enough to know that would be impossible._ _Of course, winning means my freedom. It is a little more complicated than that._

He frowned.

What is it?

 _I can't tell you, lad. Part of the rules of my game._

He sighed. There wasn't much he could do now. Still….

"Okay…who wants to come out first?"

-P4P5P4-

"Anything, Master?" Theo asked as he came out of the tv.

"Nothing that we didn't expect already. He did let some things slip…may not on purpose but there were some clues," He said as he adjusted his clothes.

 _I said nothing, lad. I let nothing slip!_

"Oh?"

"Our fake is definitely a god which we knew but the persona confirmed it. He also poking around in other realms before he created Mementos. He was planning this game for a while now. I guess even before he approached Igor. He had some idea what he was doing. It shows a lot of patience on his part."

"Most gods are…"

"For the most part…"

 _Clever, lad….very clever._

"Truly, Master. Oh! The thieves called and they wish for you to call them back. It is important," Theo said as he handed him his phone.

"Thank you," He said as he took his phone. He entered his password then searched his contracts. He hit Ren's number.

It rang two times before Ren picked up.

"Hey, Sensei."

"Hello, Ren. What happened? The message that you left said that it was important," He said.

"Well…we are all here. Let me put you on speaker. Okay…we are on," Ren said.

"Hey, Sensei!" Ryuji shouted.

"Hey!"

"Good afternoon, Sensei."

"Hello…uhh…sensei?"

He frowned at the new female voice.

"So, first…we have some good news and bad news…." Ryuji said.

"Did you get caught?" He asked.

"NO!"

"Makoto sure did. She caught on to us really quick. Good job there, Ryuji," Mona said.

"HEY! She heard all of us!"

"No…I believe that most of the recording was you," Yusuke said.

"and Ann!"

He knew that it would happen sooner or later. Subdue wasn't their strong suit. He was going to have to work on that or come up with a secret location.

Possible both.

He heard Ren sigh.

"Okay…. Let me tell Sensei the rest. Makoto did find out but she is also now a member of Phantom Thieves," Ren said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sensei," Makoto said.

"I take it that it is the good news," He said.

"Yes."

"Bad news?"

"We have steal Kaneshiro's heart or we own a hell of a lot of yen," Ryuji shouted.

He sighed. He tried really hard not to rub the bridge of his nose.

He knew that he shouldn't have left them alone.

End of the Talk

Next Chapter: Break in Play: The Support Group

A/N: Yes, a little transition chapter if you will. Subdue…not their strong point at all. Poor Yu. I won't touch on Mona too much since I talked about my line of thinking in the last couple of chapters. So instead! I am going to give you future chapter titles.

Future Chapters:

Break in Play: The Support Group

The Domino Effect

The Conversation Over Dinner (currently writing)

The Training Session II

The Man in the Black Mask

Thank you, guys, for your continuous support and inspiration! (I love you guys ideas on ranks!) So, read and review if you wish.


	25. Break in Play: The Support Group

Catch-22: Break in Play: The Support Group

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Makoto doesn't know what to think when she meets Yu…especially after watching him in action.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Luck always seems to be against the man who depends on it. -Unknown Author

Makoto was nervous.

Grownups often made her nervous for many reasons. She knew that it had to deal her old mindset. But still…the others spoke so highly of this Sensei. She wanted to make a good impression and not disappoint.

"Man, don't worry about it. Sensei is awesome," Ryuji said.

"Yes. You will love him," Ann added.

"Sensei is very insightful into one character. I look forward to our future training sessions. He expressed after the palace that he will do a session with Joker and I since our session was interrupted," Yusuke said.

"I said that I was sorry!" Morgana added.

"You are lucky that Sensei is so nice to le…"

"Shut up!"

Morgana jumped from Ren's bag and tried to tackle Ryuji.

Ren sighed as he grabbed Morgana to prevent him to make a scene in public.

"We have been learning a lot from Sensei. He is a good teacher," Ren added as he struggled to get Morgana back into his bag.

"And you met him in Mementos, correct?"

"Yes…just hanging out with his shadow friends," Ryuji said.

"Shadows are….his friends?" She said.

It was hard to get her mind around the creatures that attacked her to being someone's friend.

"Weird, huh? But…they are super sweet. Little Black Frost is so adorable and Lilim is a mother hen." Ann added.

"So is Harti," Ren pointed out.

"Incubus and Slime are quite humorous," Yusuke said.

She didn't know what to say as she listen to the conversation around her. It wasn't the strange conversation that she has been a part of but it was definitely the most interesting.

"I think that all of them would be flattered that you are talking about them," A voice said behind her.

She nearly screamed in surprise.

"Hey, Sensei!" Ryuji shouted.

She turned around to see a gray-haired man behind them. He was tall and didn't look much older than them. He wore a black jacket and pants with a white shirt underneath the jacket. She noticed on his back was a careful wrapped sword.

"Hello, everyone. I am sorry that I frightened you," Sensei said.

He had to notice that.

"It…it is fine. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sensei. My name is Makoto Niijima," She said with a bow.

He smiled at her.

"The same. I have heard a lot about you . My name is Yu Narukami. It is a pleasure," He said.

She blushed.

"We should get going," Ren said.

The others nodded as they took out their phones and hit the strange app. She followed suit as their world disappeared into waves. Slowly, a new world appeared in its place.

"So, what do you think, Sensei?" Mona asked.

She turned to see Sensei staring at the bank.

"This is your first time in a palace?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Definitely different than Mementos."

"I haven't been to Mementos yet. So, I have no comparison in my head."

"Mementos is dark and twisted into many paths. It never stays the same. It is kind of confusing. It definitely not like the tv world which remain static.

"The tv world?" She said in surprise.

"Yup. You should see him put his hand into a tv," Ryuji said.

"Gave me the creeps," Ann said.

No, she didn't want to see Sensei put his hand into a tv. She suppressed chill through her body. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that there was a world inside of the tv.

"Palaces are like that. They don't change much unless we change the person's cognitive. Then the palace will change along with it."

"Interesting. I wonder…."

"You wonder what, Sensei?" Morgana asked.

"There is a lot of similarities between this world and the tv world."

"Like?"

Sensei shook his head.

"I need to think it over more and talk to a few people. I don't want to speak of it until I am sure," Sensei said with a frown as he stared at the bank.

Whatever, it is…it seemed to bother him. She watched Sensei's eyes moved from the bank to Ren. His lips become pressed and his silver eyes become hard. She wanted to ask what was wrong but Ren's voice drawn her to attention.

"Okay, lets go, guys. Mona, Queen, and Fox are with me. Skull and Panther can stay with Sensei," Ren said.

"I am fine. Do what you need to do. I don't want to get in your way."

"You aren't getting into anyone way."

"Man, all of the shadows will probably run away from you," Ryuji said.

"Or join your army of minions," Mona added.

"I could always use more," Sensei said with a grin.

Ann giggled.

"Sensei!" An unfamiliar voice said behind them.

She turned to see a shadow with a big…you know…with wings. She slipped into a fighting stance.

Sensei turned to the shadow and smiled.

"Incubus, what are you doing here?" Sensei asked.

"I came to visit! What are you doing here?" Incubus said.

"I came to see my first palace."

"Neat, huh?"

"Very. How about you show me around while the others do what they came to do?"

Incubus clapped.

"Of course, man! I love too. Wait until you meet the guards. They are hilarious," Incubus said in excitement.

Sensei chuckled softly and nodded his head.

"Is this wise?" She asked as she watched as Sensei broke away from the group and walked toward the strange shadow.

"Wise? Probably not but it is Sensei. I am sure that he will be fine. Incubus will run and find us if something is wrong." Ren said.

"Right! Now let's get going! We have a heart to steal," Mona said.

"Man, Sensei really knock something into you," Ryuji added.

"HEY!"

"Boys…."

"Yes, Queen."

"Ye…Yes, Queen."

She glanced over at the others trying hard not to laugh."

This will be a long day.

-P4P5P4-

They looked from their hiding spot to see two guards talking in front of the door.

"Man, after my shift, I am totally going to the group," One guard said.

"The group?" The other guard said in confusion.

"Yes, Incubus brought a friend. Sensei is great. He is supportive and listen. Unlike the boss…" The guard said.

"Don't let the boss hear you!"

"I know. I know. But you should come. It is a great support group!"

"Uh…maybe later…"

The guard gave the other guard a thumb up.

She turned to the others.

"Is normal?" She asked.

The others looked at each other. Ren shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean…it is Sensei." Ren said.

"True but this palace…not Mementos," Morgana said. She glanced over to see him thinking.

"There is a difference?" Ann asked.

"Yes, in a way, Mementos is the people's cognitive. That is why it is always changing. A person's palace doesn't change. It like…," Morgana said.

"The king of the castle," Ren said with a nod.

"Yes! That king of the castle should have absolute power over his palace."

"Hmm…Sensei's appearance prove that isn't the case," She said.

"Yes."

"I don't know Sensei that well yet but could it be his persona?"

"We don't know."

"That is a good theory," Yusuke said.

"A good theory that we should look into until we finished the palace," Ren said.

"Right!" Ann added.

"Onward match," Ryuji said.

She sighed.

How could she not miss them being thieves? Subdue wasn't their strong suit.

-P4P5P4-

During their exploration of the bank, they made it back to the main sitting area.

She could see a small group of shadows in the waiting area of the bank. They were in a semi-circle. It was a mix of guards, walking atms, and shadows they fought in the palace.

Ren held up his hand to stop them from getting too close but close enough to listen.

"Man, that sucks," One of the guards said.

The walking atm nodded…well, she thought that it nodded its head.

"That is why I sought a loan. Foolish, I know. I wanted my father to buried in peace…" The ATM said. An oni handed the ATM a tissue. Sensei patted the ATM on the shoulder.

"Boss…tricked me too. Said that I could get out of the life but it seemed that I stuck in it. I am so freaky stupid," One of the guards said.

"No, dear. You were hopeful. All of us were. We hoped that the money would solve our problems," Another ATM said.

"Instead it has leaded to more."

There was a mumble of agreement between the group.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" A familiar voice shouted.

Morgana hissed as Kaneshiro walked across the waiting area toward the small group. Everyone scrambled away from the circle expect Sensei and Incubus.

"We were talking, Mister….," Sensei said.

"Mr. Kaneshiro," Kaneshiro said angrily.

Sensei nodded briefly.

"Ah. The boss."

"Yes, the boss."

Kaneshiro looked angry. Sensei looked unimpressed.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Talking and waiting for my students."

"Students…are you telling me the thieves are your students?"

"Yes."

"Honest, isn't he?" She said to the others.

"Very…" Morgana said with worry.

Kaneshiro's eyes narrowed.

"Interesting. I can imagine…"

"No."

Kaneshiro stepped back in surprise.

"What did you say?"

"I said no. I won't give you any information."

Kaneshiro snarled.

"You listen he…"

"No."

Kaneshiro opened his mouth and Sensei just stared at him. His mouth snapped shut.

"You arrogant little prick, I am going to…."

"You will do nothing."

Sensei didn't smile. She couldn't make out his eyes from where she stood but his body language told what she needed to know. His blade remained next to him in his chair. One leg was over the other and his position was relaxed but….

Her eyes glanced over to the shadows. They were tense if something happened….she wasn't quite sure if they would be on Kaneshiro's side.

Apparently, Kaneshiro realized that.

"You're right. But I will do something to your students. Trust me. You are going to watch as I destroy them!" Kaneshiro shouted as he stomped out. His guards followed him out of the room.

"Wow…." Ann said.

"Damn…." Ryuji said.

"That was impressive." Yusuke said.

She glanced over to see Ren and Morgana give each other looks.

"Joker…Mona?"

The two of them looked up.

"Okay, guys! We know Sensei is safe. Lets move!" Morgana said.

"We have to move before Kaneshiro put up his defenses again," Ren added.

"Good idea," She said.

The others nodded.

She looked one more time from where Sensei was sitting. She watched as the group gathered around him again. Sensei smiled at her and waved.

How did he know that they were there?

-P4P5P4-

"Alright! We found the treasure. Now, we need to go back and come up with our calling card!" Morgana said.

"Ooo…I can't wait to see what Fox come up," Ann said.

"I do look forward to this part," Yusuke said.

"Lets go and find Sensei," Ren added.

"Do you think that he has a bigger group now?" Ryuji added.

Ren chuckled.

"I hope not. I wanted to be able to get out of the front door."

Quickly, they made it back in the waiting room. Thank goodness for quick travel.

They found Sensei with two tall shadows.

"You need bodyguards, Sensei," Oni said.

"No, Sensei, doesn't need bodyguards. He has us!" Incubus said.

"Weakling!"

"I am not a weakling! I will cut you into pieces!" Incubus said.

"I will tear you apart," Fuu-Ki said.

"Calm down," Sensei said.

The shadows quiet down and looked to him.

"Thank you for your thoughts on my safety."

Oni and Fuu-Ki looked proud of themselves.

"But I don't need protection but my shadows friends do. Mementos is very dangerous place. I worry about them when I am gone. With you two there, I will feel a lot better. Of course, while I am there, you can protect me as well if the situation called for it."

"We don't need protection, Sensei. We are fine," Incubus said.

"I know that you are strong, Incubus. More the merrier, beside you will keep them in line."

"Aww…man…you are the best."

"Alright!" Oni said.

"I look forward to serving you, Sensei," Fuu-Ki said with a bow.

Sensei beamed at them then turned to Incubus.

"Think that you can show them the ropes, Incubus," Sensei said with a smile.

"Right! Come on, men!" Incubus said as the shadows disappeared. Sensei's smile dropped a little and he started rubbing his forehead.

There was a silence in the group.

"Told you that he would add more minions," Morgana said.

End of The Support Group

Next Chapter: The Domino Effect

A/N: Nice try, Papyrus. XD This chapter popped up in my head while I was writing The Session. I thought to self…self…you know…that would be a totally Yu thing to do. So, I wrote it. I regret nothing. Interesting fact, I did look at American deities and important people during my search for Yu's mystery guest. Papyrus, you are close on being related to Hades. So, that brings up my next hint.

Hint: Yu's mystery guest is similarity to both Minato's Orpheus and Yu's Izanagi in lore.

And…again, thank you for the wonderful support. You guys are awesome. Read and review if you wish.


	26. The Domino Effect

Catch-22: The Domino Effect

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu meets Sai-san.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.

-Winston Churchill 

_Sai slammed her fists onto the table. She stared at Ren… with a look of determination. She wanted answers….more than what he was giving her. In the back of her mind, she knew that he was fading…fast._

" _Your little group has a teacher….a sensei if you will. Someone who has been through this before. Your team got better and better as you went along. I wonder who is it."_

 _He didn't answer her but he did look up at her._

" _WHO IS IT?!"_

 _She saw exhaustion in his eyes but she saw something else._

" _Leave, Sensei out of this."_

 _Fire…._

-P4P5P4-

Yu stood in front of the police station.

He made note of the size of the station since it is definitely bigger than his uncle's station.

It was easy to find his uncle. He was loud enough that the lady at the front desk didn't need to tell him anything.

Finding Akechi might be a little trickier.

Hopefully, the person at the front desk would help.

He entered the building and followed the flow of people into the building. Once, he was inside, he stood in line behind a few people. It gave him a chance to look around. It looked the same as his uncle's station.

They must use the same architect.

Finally, he reached the front of the line.

"Hello, I am looking for Goro Akechi. Do you know where I might find him?" He said.

The officer blinked for a moment.

"Are you a witness?" The officer asked.

"Nope, a friend. I brought him lunch…or now dinner since he missed lunch," He said with a smile.

The officer blinked again.

"Uhh…he had a meeting at the court house."

He bowed slightly.

"Thank you very much," He said as he turned around and headed outside. It was a good thing that the court house wasn't that far away. He entered through the metal gates and into the building.

He looked around once he got inside of the building.

Definitely the same architect.

He got into the smaller line to get check in. He walked through a metal detector and his food got examined.

He looked amused at the almost drooling security guard slowly give him back his food.

Maybe, next time…he should bring more.

"Do you know where I can find Detective Goro Akechi?"

"Are you a witness?"

"No, I am a friend who brought him lunch."

The security guard blinked.

"There is a waiting room over there. I will tell him that you are here."

"Thank you," He said as he moved to the waiting area. He lucked out when he saw an empty chair and was able to take a seat. He looked around for a moment. He watched the people move back and forward.

After a few minutes of people watching, he took out his phone and unlock the screen.

He texted Akechi saying that he was here then started going through his messages. Nothing that he needed to answer right away.

He opened up Candy Crush.

Naoto expressed that this game isn't up to his skill level. He knew for a fact that she has a hidden pictures app on her phone.

It amused him.

He felt something brushed his leg. He looked up to see a woman in a gray business suit. She definitely older than him. What he caught his attention was her face. It was set with a look of angry.

"I am sorry, ma'am," He said.

Her body jolted toward him if she was lost in thought.

"What are you doing here? There are no courts in session," She said.

"Waiting for Goro Akechi."

"Are you witness?"

He is beginning to see a trend with that answer.

"No, a friend."

Her eye brow rose slightly.

"Isn't often for a friend to visit him here."

"I am noticing that. We were supposed to meet up for lunch but I am guessing that the meeting took longer than he thought. So, I brought him lunch…or more likely dinner now." He said in amusement.

She sighed.

"Yes, it did," She said.

"Let me guess…the thieves again?" He said.

She blinked in surprise.

"You talk about it?"

"Sometimes. We tend to keep our conversations away from his work."

"And?"

"Clearly, you know Akechi's stand on the matter. I am more on the neutral end of the matter."

"Really? You aren't on Akechi's side?"

"No because I can see clearly that both sides are wrong…and right."

"Explain yourself," She said.

"I see the thieves as a fire. How does the old saying go…where there is smoke, there is fire? There were signs before that people chose to ignore for whatever reason. Now, the fire is growing and continue to grow. They are righting wrongs that should have changed years ago."

"You said that you were neutral."

"I am. Sooner or later, their fire is going to get put out. Sooner or later, they will run into something that they can't change. To go such extremes, it will have consequences for themselves, others around them, and the city."

He understood. He has been there. Thieves had the same drive as his friends. They wanted change the world. His friends wanted the truth. There is a difference….

With every heart they change, they want to go bigger…more extreme. He and his friends just wanted the truth. As their Sensei, he worried about them. It was the fire that he spoke of…it burns in them. He believed that it won't burn out anytime soon. He could tell them not to do it…slow down. He knew better. They also would continue without telling him. It was clear to him that their own supports were…lacking. Only thing that he could do is support them and remove some of their burdens.

"Interesting…and you said the police was the same. Explain your position on that," She said in curiosity.

The lines on her face was gone. She was openly curious on what he had to say on the matter.

"Police are more equipped to handle these situations. They have more resources and man power to deal with these matters of the city."

"Truly."

"But they are only reacting to the thieves are doing. Like I said before, these matters should have been handled years ago. Why not? There always rumors of abuse, of art fakes…or drug running and yet, the police remain quiet. Saying that they look into the matter. I am curious on how many skulls are in the closet…sort of speak."

"You are like everyone else. Blaming us for the mistakes that clearly wasn't our fault. We can't arrest someone on rumors alone. We need evidence for such allegations!" She said angrily.

He stared at her for a long moment. She began to shifted uncomfortably.

"Evidence is clear as day. My question is are you trying convince me or yourself?"

Her eyes widen slightly as if he slapped her on the face.

"My…My…what a lively discussion," A familiar voice said.

He turned around to see Akechi over his shoulder. He smiled and waved to his friend.

"It was an interesting one," He said with a smile.

Akechi chuckled.

"Thank you, Sai-san, for keeping my friend company. I am sure that you want to head home before someone else stops you," Akechi said with a grin.

"True. Thank you for the discussion and I will see you tomorrow, Akechi," Sai-san said.

"Of course," Akechi said.

Sai-san turned on her heels and left.

"You bring interesting points to the discussion about the Thieves. I look forward to discussing it another time. But I am curious to find out why you are here?"

He rose his lunch bag up.

"Someone forgot lunch," He said with a grin.

End of The The Domino Effect

Next Chapter: The Conversation Over Dinner

A/N: I was writing the Conversation Over Dinner…and I went crap…I still haven't had Sai and Yu meet yet. I needed it to happen for future chapters. So, The Domino Effect was born. Yes, Yu is very aware of the differences between the Thieves and his team. Yu doesn't have time Sai's crap either. Now about our favorite god. Your guesses are interesting. Yes, I did look American/South American deities and famous people (Pal Garrett who killed Billy The Kid and Quartizol) but they really didn't fit. No, he isn't an American god. I didn't think of the fake god angle! In hindsight, that would have made an interesting twist. Yes, I am so super excited Persona Q2. I have no idea what that means for the story.

My note is long enough. Thank you again for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites. You guys are awesome. Read and Review if you wish.


	27. The Conversation Over Dinner

Catch-22: The Conversation Over Dinner

By: M14Mouse

Summary: It has been years since Yu called a team meeting. Some things never change.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"Goddamn it, bear. Stop stealing all of the noodles," Youske shouted over the table.

"I am not stealing all of the noodles, Youske. I am eating them!" Teddie said as he held the bowl close to his chest.

"Gentlemen, there is nothing to worry about. I made more," Theo said as he appeared from the kitchen with another bowl in hand.

"Yes! Thanks, man. You're the best."

Theo bowed and headed back into the kitchen.

"Theo, you could join us," Yu said.

"Of course, Master," Theo said from the kitchen.

He sighed. It was something that he was working on with Theo. He wasn't sure if he was even going to break him of the habit.

"Man…I can't believe Margaret sent him to you," Yosuke said as he leaned over to him.

"I can"

He chuckled softly.

He and Theo had to think up a plausible reason why he was here. They didn't know about Igor but they did know about Margaret.

This would be something that Margaret and Elizabeth would do much to Theo's displeasure.

Yosuke laughed.

"You're right. It would be something. So, how is he doing?"

"Uh…"

He wondered if how he should describe how their latest shopping trip went….On the positive, they didn't get banned from that store. Negative, Teddie isn't allow near the bananas anymore.

"We went to a new store and I got to meet a nice lady! She gave me bananas!" Teddie said with a smile.

Youske blinked and turned to him.

"I'm so sorry, partner."

"It was most uncomfortable experience that I don't care to repeat," Theo said as he returned from the kitchen.

"It was fun!" Teddie added.

"Matter of an opinion, sir," Theo added.

He lifted his hand. He didn't want this conversation elevate like last time.

"How about we get the computers ready? We should start soon," He said.

"Yes, that is a good idea, Master," Theo said as he gave Teddie a look.

He was lucky that Teddie was going home tonight or they were going to kill each other.

Yosuke got up from the table and got his laptop from his bag. He got up to the table to his own. It only took a few minutes to set up everything. Once everything was set up…he heard a familiar voice.

"HEY, Guys!" Chie said from the computer. He smiled at Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji who were huddled over the computer.

"Hello, oooh…you having dinner. What are you having?" Yukiko said as she leaned closer.

"Hey, man. Wait…you having dinner. No fair!" Kanji said.

"You were welcome to come, man. You were busy with your latest thing for the shop. I believe that your words were "God damn, Yosuke! I have to get this done!" Although, your mom said that you really should have gone. You seemed stress…and she is right."

"Not you too!"

He could tell that Kanji was getting more and more upset by the conversation.

"Kanji, why don't you come here for a weekend? Rise and I are planning to take Theo shopping. He needs new clothes. We can show you around. It will be fun. We can buy your mom those cakes that she likes so much," He said.

"I don't know…" Kanji said.

"If you don't go, I will tell your mom," Yukiko said as she gave Kanji a look.

"Yukiko!"

"You better just do what she said. She has that face on," Chie said.

Kanji sighed.

"Or we could get Naoto to talk to you…" Yukiko said.

"Alright! Alright! You win!" Kanji said.

"Man…you were totally outnumbered," Yosuke said.

"HEY!"

"I don't need any clothes, Master." Theo said as he came back into the room.

"Yes, you do," He and Teddie said at the same time.

Theo blinked.

"You need blend in especially if you meet my students."

"Tutoring again?" Chie asked.

"Yes…and kind of heard that you are doing the same."

"There are a few kids that I took under my wing," Chie said as she scratched her head.

"You mean teach them on how to kick everyone's ass," Yosuke said.

"Someone has too," Chie said with a smile.

He grinned. He was glad that everything was going well with Chie. She was very stressed when she first started the academy. Now, she seemed to have found her footing.

"OH! Your swiss roll recipe was a hit! The chief and I really had fun with it. Can we try a smoothie next? They seemed to be really popular now at the inn. It looks easy enough," Yukiko said.

He, Kanji and Yosuke gave each other looks.

Famous last words.

"Sure. I can look up a few easy ones to start you out with," He said.

"Oh, goody!" Yukiko said in excitement.

"Miss Naoto and Miss Rise is ready, Master," Theo said as he came back into the kitchen.

"Thank you, Theo. Yosuke…," He said.

"Gotcha, partner," Yosuke said as he typed on the keyboard.

Few minutes later, Naoto and Rise's face were on the screen.

"HEY, EVERYONE!" Rise said with a smile and a wave.

"Good evening…or good morning," Naoto said with a yawn.

"No sleep again?" He said with a small grin.

"Busy night. There was some progress on the case that I am working on."

"Good to hear. Last time, we talk, it was really bothering you."

Naoto nodded.

"How is your tour going, Rise?" Chie asked.

"I bet you are berry beautiful!" Teddie said

Rise giggled.

"Thank you, Teddie. The tour is going great. I can't wait to be home," Rise said.

"OO…we should totally do a party or something. That will get everyone together." Yukiko said with a grin.

"That would great! We just have to find time." Chie said.

"Ooo…parties! I can totally work on that. It is going to be fun!" Rise said as she clapped her hands.

"If Rise is planning it, it will get done," Yosuke added.

"Damn right!"

He chuckled softly at his friends. He listened as his friends plan their party. Maybe, he and Theo should cook.

For safety reasons.

"As much I enjoyed this conversation, I must go to work in an hour," Naoto said.

Everyone gave her a look.

"STOP IT! I will be fine. I am off the next day. I will rest and…"

"Uh huh." Kanji said.

"Should I tag it?" Rise said.

Tagging was a clever way to get Naoto to sleep. One of them would tag her phone to see if she was asleep. If she didn't answer, she was asleep. If she did answer, she wasn't asleep.

Well….

Teddie found a good song to put Naoto to sleep.

"No…No…you are impossible!" Naoto said.

"No, we are your friends and we worry," He added.

Naoto sighed.

"Fine…now, Yu…what do you wish to discuss with us?"

"Remember when we were talking about the lack of evidence for the mental shutdowns? Well, it is because they take place in different world," He said.

"Holy shit," Kanji said in surprise.

"Indeed," Naoto said.

Rise, Yukiko and Chie grasped. Teddie's mouth dropped open.

"Crap, like the tv world?" Yosuke said.

"Their similarities are scary. Remember, Teddie? When you said that the tv world was connected to our world with our thoughts and feelings. Now imagine that on a much larger scale," He said.

"How much larger scale…" Yosuke said softly.

"The entire city."

"Shit." Kanji said.

"That isn't all. If a person's thoughts and feelings become too much for that world, they can break off into something called palaces."

"Like our dungeons…" Naoto said softly.

"Yes…but unlike your dungeons, these palaces can collapse after the person has a change of heart. It also doesn't change like our dungeons."

"Ooo…the Phantom Thieves!" Rise said.

He nodded.

"And you believe these Phantom Thieves are the cause?"

He shook his head.

"No. First, the timing is off. Two, I have met them and they aren't very subdued."

"WHAT?!"

"Man, you are just dropping bombs today."

"Damn, partner…"

"That is so cool, Sensei! Do they have funny outfits?"

"Like…Teddie in Junes bad subdue or…?"

"I am not that bad!"

He rose his hand to quiet them down.

"Then who do you believe are causing them?"

"Now, that I don't know. The thieves and my shadow friends aren't sure who yet. The only describe him as a man in a black mask."

Naoto sighed.

"Wait a minute, shadow friends?" Yosuke said.

"Yes, I made friends with some of the shadows."

Everyone just stared at him expect Teddie who started clapping.

"I get some brothers and sisters! When do I get to meet them!?" Teddie said.

"Soon, I hope but I have an important job for you. I need you to watch the tv world," He said.

"But the tv world is safe."

"For now…yes…You believe because of the similarities that they may cross into each other," Naoto said.

"Yes."

"Crap," Kanji said.

"No…" Yukiko said as she shook her head.

"Damn it. We won't let that happen." Yosuke said.

"Damn straight." Kanji said.

"YUP! We are going to protect the tv world no matter what!" Chie added.

"I am on tour but if you need me, I will be there," Rise said with determination.

He nodded. He heard a curse from Naoto's direction.

"That is why I am having difficult with this place. It isn't like a tv world…it is more like this place that you described. It hasn't changed since I have been there," Naoto said.

"Double shit," Kanji said.

"This is berry bad!" Teddie said.

He glanced over at Rise's screen. She appeared to be thinking.

"I am doing my European leg soon. I can totally swing by and scan the place for you," Rise said.

"Yes and Mom had said that I needed to go on a vacation. This will be a prefect time. I get some insight into different inns around the world and visit London," Yukiko said.

"I am graceful for your assistance," Naoto said.

"Nah. It will be fun and work but that is what friends are for. I will email you guys my tour dates and see what we can work out," Rise added.

"We will cover the tv world while you're gone," Yosuke said.

He sat back and listened as the others planned everything out.

"This worked out rather well, Master," Theo said behind him.

"It did. We make a great team. Most of all…great friends," He said.

He saw his phone vibrate on the table. He picked up to see Mitsuru-san's name on his screen. He pressed onto the talk button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello."

"Turn on the tv," Mitsuru-san said.

"Mitsuru-san…" He said in confusion.

"Do it."

He got up and went over to the tv in the living room. He picked up the remote and turned it on.

His month nearly dropped when he saw Mitsuru-san on the screen. She was wearing her typical business attire but the look on her face…

If looks could kill…

"… _this is a great loss to our country. Your business has been part of our country for generations," The reporter said._

"… _It was a choice that we didn't take lightly. With the current political climate, it is best for my company to move welcoming grounds." Mitsuru-san said._

 _The reporter's eyes widen._

"… _Are you saying…uh…?"_

" _I'm saying that all of my employees have offers to either move with our new offices or remain at the Tokyo branch."_

" _So, your company will remain."_

" _No, it is a satellite branch. It will be run by a trusted friend and colleague."_

" _Oh? Who?"_

" _It will be run by Yu Narukami_ ," _Mitsuru-san said._

"Congratulations, you have been promoted," Mitsuru-san said.

End of The Conversation Over Dinner

Next Chapter: The Training Session II

A/N: One of my annoyances with Persona 5 is lack of presence of Kirijo Group. These guys have been studying shadows since forever. Suddenly, poof? I have a theory that Shido did something to force them out of Japan. Mitsuru being Mitsuru. Basically, she says fuck you and pick up her company and moved it to more….welcoming government. She won't let someone like Shido stop her and her company. I will go into it more in the coming chapters. You are correct, Y. I have played Shin Megami Tensei series (I am currently stuck and lost in 4) and some to do with Yu's interactions with them.

Anyway, thank you guys for the reviews, favorites, kudos, etc. They are always great. :D


	28. The Training Session II

Catch-22: The Training Session II

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Finally, Yu get to train the others without any incidents. Haha….like that is going to happen.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."  
― William Arthur Ward

"Uhh…should I say congratulations?" Makoto said when they met up.

"For now, I am not sure," Yu said.

Makoto looked confused for a moment.

He rubbed the bridge of nose. What a mess.

" _Mitsuru-san…."_

" _Before you talk, hear me out."_

 _He sighed._

" _Go on."_

" _You are aware of the current political situation in Japan. It has become more and more difficult to operate especially our research department. I expect someone is making it hard for a reason."_

" _You know who?"_

" _I have some guesses. I have operatives looking into the situation. I have more pressing situations with increase shadows movements around the world and a government unwilling to see the truth. I had to make a choice for the sake of my company and for the world."_

" _That is why you have been traveling to Kenya and South Africa so much."_

" _Their governments are open to our presence…even welcoming. It is nice to have an ally instead of an enemy._

" _That does make things easier for us. I supposed the others and I will be traveling there shortly."_

" _Yes, I am making arrangements as we speak."_

" _And…my promotion?"_

" _From your reports, you believe that the man in the black mask is cause of the mental breakdowns. With your work with the Phantom Thieves, you also believe that there is someone else directing the attacks. This promotion would allow you access to people and places that you didn't have before. You will provide and allow access to more resources. It also gives you and possible the Thieves some measure of protection if something were to happen. Most of all, you have the full support of the board and the staff."_

 _He didn't deny that she did have a point. He also knew her well enough to know that there is more to it._

" _And?"_

" _I expect you to do what you do best…find the truth."_

" _You make it sound like that is a bad thing?"_

" _I have seen you work, Yu-san."_

"… _Again, bad thing?"_

" _No, scary."_

"… _."_

"…"

" _I think that you are enjoying this."_

"… _.Just a little."_

"If it is too much trouble, maybe you should stop training us," Ren said.

Ren may be wearing a mask, he could see the statement and tone quite clearly. It was a tone spoke of mistrust and sadness.

"No, I worked out my schedule for me to continue to train you," He said.

"Is there a reason that you told the others to stay back for a while?" Makoto said.

"They will distract you. I want your first session to be one on one just like the others. For the next part, I will bring in the others and we can do some group training."

"That is understandable…."

He nodded.

"Okay…you first, Queen."

"Yes, Sensei…," She said as she got up from her seat.

Since he didn't plan for actually combat situation with this group, he figure that they could work by the stairs. He told the others to wait a level above them with his shadow friends. He also remembered the snacks. That should keep them busy…unless they fight over snacks again.

Then he would have to stop the session.

He waited for Makoto to stand in front of him.

"While Incubus and I was exploring the palace, I was able to watch some of your battles."

"Oh?"

"Your quick thinking and able to analyze your enemies at first glance are impressive. So, tell me…why are you afraid of them?"

Her eyes widen slightly.

Makoto was almost good as hiding her weakness as Ren. He didn't catch it until after watching several battles. When a shadow surprised her, he could see her body flitch. He wondered she was conscience of it.

She took a deep breath and bowed.

"Queen?"

"I am so…sorry, Sensei. I promise to better," Makoto said.

He sighed softly. Once Makoto stopped bowing, he put her hands on her shoulders.

"Queen, that isn't the point. I know that you will do better. I am worried about your fear getting the better of you in combat. I understand that what you and the others must do but it doesn't stop me from worrying about my students."

Makoto stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You are very kind, Sensei."

"I don't know about it. I am too blurt sometimes," He said.

She smiled a little.

"Now, shadows come in different forms. Not all are like Black Frost and Lilum. I want you to be prepared."

"It isn't that the shadows scare me…."

His eye brow rose slightly.

"Okay…maybe a little but with the others here, it makes it better."

"What if you were alone and separated from the others?"

"I….I don't know."

"Then we will work on it as a team. Slime, come out, please," He shouted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Slime crawl out of the shadows. He also saw Makoto flitch at Slime's appearance.

"Don't be afraid. Out of my shadows, Slime is the friendliness," He said.

"Really?" She said as she looked from Slime to him.

"Black Frost can be shy around strangers. Since you are new, he wouldn't be a good choice. Lilum might be a good choice but she isn't too fond of Fox."

"I didn't steal her candy!" Fox shouted from the stairs.

He glanced over at Yusuke. Ren stood next to Fox…looking very amuse.

He chuckled.

"HeY SenSei!"

"Hello, Slime. I am going to need your help. Queen is new. She hasn't quite adjusted to all of the shadows. Would you mind if she feed you some popcorn to adjust to everyone?"

"pOpcoRn! SliME LovEs PopCoRN!"

He smiled as he waved for Ren to throw him a bag of popcorn from his bag. Ren grabbed it out of his bag and tossed it toward him. He caught it and gave it to Makoto. He watched as Makoto took a seat on the stairs and opened the bag of popcorn. Slime moved over to her and Makoto started feeding Slime.

By feeding, he meant Makoto throwing pieces of popcorn at Slime. Slime wasn't complaining. Slime really like his popcorn.

"Fox, your turn," He said.

"Yes, Sensei," Yuske said as he got to his feet.

"Joker has been telling me that you two have been working on finding your passion for painting again."

"That is correct."

"I believe that has helped you in battle. I did see improvement when you fought this time than last time. So, I think that it is a good idea for Joker to continue working with you. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. If Joker ever get stuck, I will be happy to help. So, today, we are going to work on your agility since you are one of the fastest in the group."

"I…thank you, Sensei."

"Yaskini, your turn."

Yaskini came out of the shadows.

"Joker, if you please…"

Ren brought a basket fill with water balloons to him.

"Thank you," He said as he picked the basket and brought to Yaskini.

"Is this training similar to Skull's training?" Yusuke said.

"Yes and no. Yaskini will be throwing the water balloons while I watch. The goal is to improve your agility. The next will move onto the target practice. She will throw the balloons and you will freeze them with your ice spells. That will work on your reaction time."

"If you…say so."

He could hear the hesitation in his voice.

Hmmm….

"Think of your persona as your paintbrush."

"I don't think that he would like it if you called him that."

He chuckled.

"I can imagine that. How about you as the paintbrush? Your moves and your actions determine how your painting turn out."

"That is interesting way to put it. I will try, Sensei," Yusuke said with a bow.

He stepped away.

"Ready?"

Both of them nodded their heads.

"Begin."

Yaskini started throwing the water balloon one at the time. Yusuke was dodging but not very well. After the fourth hit with the water balloon, he rose his hand.

"Stop."

"Sensei…" Yusuke said.

"You are putting a Mona. You are overthinking the exercise. When you paint, you feel. Just feel the movement of your body. Here…how about you watch me? Okay….ready, Yaskini," He said.

"Of course, Sensei," Yaskini said with a grin.

He had a feeling that Yaskini is going to enjoy doing this.

He dodged the first waterball but not the second. But once he adjusted without a weapon, his body started to move with ease.

Yosuke would be so proud.

"Enough," He said after the third water ball hit him. He wanted to save some water balls for Yosuke.

"Did that…," He said as he turned around to look at the students' wide eyed expressions.

"That was remarkable. Can I paint you sometimes, Sensei?! It was truly poetry in motion. Oh, I wish that I brought my brushes." Yusuke said.

"Wow…." Ren added.

"That is remarkable. How long you have been training?" Makoto said.

He flushed.

"Few years now. I am a little rusty. So, teaching you have made me brush up a bit," He said.

"Truly remarkable," Yusuke said in awe.

"Thank you. Understand what I am going for?"

"Yes, I think I do," Yusuke said as he replaced his spot in front of Yaskini.

"Ready?"

Both nodded their heads.

"Begin."

This time went much better than before. He could see Yusuke move much more fluently and he didn't get hit with that many water balls.

"Stop…great work, Fox. Now, we will move on…."

A loud crash interrupt what he was about to say.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Ann shouted.

"Yes, you big meanie!" Lilim joined hers.

He turned around to see Ann and Lilim with their hands on their hips standing over Ryuji, who was rubbing his head.

"I told you that was a bad idea,' Morgana said from the top of the stairs.

"PoPcorN?" Slime said sadly at the popcorn on the floor.

"Don't worry, Slime. I get you some more," Makoto said as she patted Slime on the head. Her eyes were solely on Ryuji. He would bet some yen that someone was buying Slime popcorn tonight.

"Tell him that he was a jerk-face, Sensei," Lilim said.

"I know, right?! Wait until you hear about this, Joker," Ann added.

He and Ren looked at each other.

"Hee Hoo?" Black Frost said as he opened his hands to be picked up.

He sighed as he picked up Black Frost.

Note to self, individual session or group session might be the way to go.

End of Training Session II

Next Chapter: The Shopping Trip

A/N: Don't worry. Ren will get his session soon enough and our first rank up. Some of my reviewers nail the reason for the twist but it has another purpose that you will see soon enough. As for plans for Royal, I am not going to touch it. I already have plans for Dance All Night and PQ2. I don't think my little fic needs anymore stuff or I will never finish it. As for your theory, Y, it is interesting one. Too many callbacks in Persona 5 kind of kill the theory for me.

Fun Future stuff: Expect A Break in Play from Ryuji's POV, Ren and Yu's training session and Futaba's palace which will also be Yu's first palace from start to finish.

Again, thank you for the wonderful support, reviews, favorites, kudos. You guys are awesome!


	29. The Shopping Trip

Catch-22: The Shopping Trip

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu takes Theo shopping. Don't worry. Help is on the way.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

– Unknown

"I am not sure why we have to do this, Master," Theo said.

"Because as my personal assistant, you need new clothes," He said.

"I think that both of you need new clothes," Rise added.

"I think my clothes are fine," He said.

"Man, I have been through your clothes. You have…like one suit," Kanji said.

"I have seen your budget too. Mitsuru-sempai has been very generous," Rise said with a grin.

"Probably because she knew that he owns one suit."

"Probably."

He really shouldn't have Rise talk to Mitsuru-san before coming here.

"But don't worry. You have me and Kanji to make you two looked fabulous," Rise said with clap of her hands.

Kanji stared at Rise then at them.

"You two are fucked," Kanji said.

Rise hit Kanji's shoulder.

"Don't talk like that. It will be so much fun," Rise said with glee.

He chuckled softly at Rise. He glanced over to see Theo's horrified expression. He reached over and squeezed Theo's shoulder.

"It is okay."

"Master…."

"They are my friends. They are excited at the moment. They aren't going to do anything that you don't want to do. Trust them like I do," He said.

"He is right. Kanji and I are going to make you the best-looking personal assistant ever," She said as she took Theo's hands and grinned.

"I…Thank you, Miss Rise," Theo said with a strange expression.

He never wondered much about the attendants. Margaret always seemed so worldly to him. She always seemed to know something…someone…some place. She challenged him and he always liked the challenge. Elizabeth was….interesting. It wasn't a bad interesting…more like what will come out of her mouth interesting. She always brought a smile to everyone's faces. He wasn't blind to the pain in her eyes. She missed Minato. When he has a spare moment or so, he would look up something…anything that would help her on her search. He always felt a sense of regret when he couldn't find anything for her. He understood why Margaret worried about her and wanted to protect her.

He knew the least about Theo until he become his roommate slash personal assistant. He knew that Theo loved to cook. He found youtube and he spent three days watching cooking videos.

He had plenty of food to bring his friends on those days.

He hates evenings. Although, Theo wouldn't say that he hated evening but he could tell by his body language. He got a little moody. When he pointed it out, Theo would deny it.

He wondered if it had to do with Igor.

Hopefully, one day, Theo would be comfortable enough with him to tell him.

"You're welcome. Now, come on! My driver awaits!" Rise said as she started dragging Theo out of the door.

He chuckled softly.

"COME ON YOU TWO! WE MUST GO!" Rise shouted from the hallway.

"Man, you two are really fucked," Kanji added.

He shook his head. It shouldn't be that bad.

-P4P3P4P3-

Rise's driver dropped them in front of a suit shop.

"Come back in an hour…or three. Never mind. I just call you when I am done," Rise said to the driver.

He looked at the suit shop that Mitsuru-san recommended to him. She said that she already set up an appointment for them. Theo still had this horrified expression on his face and Kanji was examining the suits in the window.

He wondered if he should be worried…how long could they really spent looking at suits?

"Sensei!" A familiar voice said behind them.

He turned to the side to see Ann running toward them. She waving her hands in excitement. He waved back.

"Hey, Ann," He said with a wave.

"Oooo…who is this?" Rise said as she came over.

"This is Ann, one of my students," He said.

"It is great to meet you. He talked about you guys. Still having problems with English?" Rise said.

"Uh…don't remind me," Ann said with a sigh.

"Well…you have a good teacher. He helped me through high school. Trust me. You are in good hands."

"Thank you. What are you guys up too? I am just looking to do some shopping…"

Rise clapped her hands.

"You can totally come with us. We are trying to make Yu look all president-y. We totally need another girl opinion," Rise said.

Ann looked at us with uncertain.

"Sensei?" Ann said.

"You're welcome to join us if you have the time," He said with a nod.

"Well…I can stay for an hour or so before my shoot…"

"You're model! I knew that you looked familiar," Rise said.

Ann flushed then she looked at Rise carefully. Her eyes widen slightly.

"You…"

"SHhhh…not here. Come on…let's go inside," Rise said as she dragged them inside of the shop.

"You're Risette!" Ann said once they got inside.

"The one and only…but you make call me Rise," Rise said.

"You didn't tell me, Sensei, that you knew someone was famous!" Ann said.

"I don't drop names, Ann. Rise is my friend…first and foremost…a famous singer, second," He said with a grin. Kanji rolled his eyes.

Ann looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry, Sensei," Ann said.

"Don't be mean, Yu. Come on, Ann…lets go and make these boys pretty," Rise said with a smile.

"YES!" Ann said with the clap of her hands. Rise grabbed Ann's hand and pulled her to the suits.

He looked at the rows and rows of different jackets and pants. There were small tables in the middle of the store with socks, ties, and belts.

"You think that it is a good idea to leave them alone, Master?" Theo said with worry.

"Yes, I trust Kanji," He said.

Kanji blinked for a moment then scratched his head.

"Man…why did you say that?" Kanji said.

"Because you know your stuff. I have seen your work. You know every stitch and every bolt of fabric that pass through your hands. I trust your judgement."

Kanji flushed.

"Yu! Kanji! Theodore-kun! Come over here! What do you think?" Rise shouted.

"We have been called," He said.

"It begins," Theo said with a sigh.

The group approached the girls who had their hands on several suits. Rise held up a suit. Kanji picked up the sleeve of the jacket. He frowned for a moment as he examined the suit. He rubbed the fabric in his hands and examined the stiches.

"A little heavy. Good for a winter suit," Kanji said.

Rise nodded and put it to the side.

Ann looked at Kanji and handed him another suit. He did the same thing.

"Good suit. Wouldn't do good on Yu…more of Theo-kun's style," Kanji said as he pointed to Theo, who turned pale.

"Wow…."

"I know, right? Kanji works at his family's textural shop and makes awesome plush toys that sell out like hotcakes," Rise said.

"Rise!" Kanji said as his face turned red.

"We talked about this. You should be proud of your work."

He nodded in agreement.

"Really? That is so cool. Do you have a sample that I could see?" Ann asked.

"Coming right up," Rise said as she through into her bag and pulled out her Rise teddy bear that Kanji made her.

Ann's eyes widen slightly and made the noise that everyone made when they saw Kanji's work.

"Oh my god…that is so cute! Can you make me one? I will totally pay for it," Ann said as she picked Rise teddy from Rise's hands and started patting its head.

"It is so soft….I am going to take a pic for Makoto. She will love this!" Ann said as she set the bed on a chair and took a picture.

"I know, right?! I post him on Insa-pic on my tours. Fans just eat him up."

He glanced over Kanji…if his face turned any redder….

"As much I find this conversation insightful, I believe Miss Ann has only a limit time to spend with us before paring…," Theo said.

He covered his mouth to suppress a grin. Theo wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"You're right! How about this one, Kanji-sempai?" Ann said.

Kanji examined the next suit.

"Crappy fabric and crappy snitch to go with it. It last maybe two…three wears," Kanji said.

"What are you children doing here?" A voice said behind them.

They turned around to see a salesman behind them. He looked at them with utter disgust.

"We have an appointment. We are merely looking around," He said coolly.

He gave them a look and looked like he was about to say something before another voice cut them off.

"It would be wise if you don't say anything to our guests. The new president of Tokyo branch of the Kirijo group and a famous idol has a large social media following. I would hate to fire you," An older man said as he approached the group

The older gentleman had salt and pepper hair and wore a grey suit. His back was straight and stared at his associate like he could step on him.

"Sir?" His younger employee said nervously as turned to the older gentleman.

"Perhaps, you should check on the inventory in the back," The older gentlemen said.

The employee nodded his head and bow before taking off to the back.

"Sorry about that. He is my niece. I have a lot of work ahead of me," The older man said.

He nodded his head.

"But you…young man…may I see the suit that you checked?" The man said.

Kanji handed the man the suit.

"Hmmm…good eye. Training?"

"Not really. Ma runs a shop and I help out…," Kanji said.

"And he makes his own plushies," Rise added.

"Rise!"

The older gentleman chuckled.

"Come…show me your work. Mr. Narukami and his assistant will need to be measure. The ladies will continue pulling suits for the gentlemen to try. We have only an hour…lets get to work," The man said.

He watched as the girls move toward the jackets. Kanji and the man were talking about something.

"You did this on purpose," Theo said.

He glanced over his shoulder to look at Theo.

"I didn't?" He said in confusion.

"I know how the power of the wild card works, Master. This is…remarkable."

He shook his head.

"Explain."

"Two of the Lovers Arcana …those two are Emperor Arcana. Your power force the one who would disrupt the balance out of the group. It is remarkable, Master."

He frowned as he thought over what Theo said.

"Does it happen often?"

"Often enough."

"Hmmm…So, forming bonds is only part of it. With those bonds, Wild cards create a sort of balance. That is why SEES and IT get along so well when we first met. Minato and I already created the balance between the groups. We worked out of the growing pains if you will."

Theo's eyes widen slightly.

"Master…you remember…?"

He sighed.

"I remember them quite well…."

"Yu! Theo-kun! Come and look!" Rise said as she held a suit up high.

"Look at this one, Sensei!" Ann said as she held up another one.

"I am coming. We will be there shortly…"

"Master…."

"We will talk about it later…I promise."

End of The Shopping Trip

Next Chapter: The Man in The Black Mask (I am sorry)

A/N: I have read interesting theories that Yu remembers events from PQ. I like them and went with it. Yes, Mona and Teddie will meet…just not now. I foresee it to be later in the fic or in the sequel. Out of all of the palaces, Futaba's palace is closer in terms of similarities to Persona 4's motto…facing yourself. In fact, Yu will suggest to the others to bring Futaba here and left her talk to her palace self. Of course, the others veto the idea then we know what happens later in the palace. XD I think that I touched on everyone's questions. Oh, Ryuji has been a good boy…Mona, on the other hand…not so much.

Anyway, thank you for the wonderful reviews, favorites, kudos, and endless support.


	30. The Man in The Black Mask

Catch-22: The Man in The Black Mask

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu goes down to visit his shadow friends and find something…someone else there.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."

― William Blake

The first thing that Yu noticed when he stepped into Mementos was how quiet it was. That fact was strange to him. Even without the shadows around, there was always bump or echo inside of here.

Now, it was just quiet.

His hand rested on his sword.

Second thing that he noticed was the lack of shadows. When he is here, either by himself or with the Thieves, there was always shadows. Sometimes, close by and other times that he could see from the distance.

Something wasn't right.

"Sensei?" A familiar voice said softly.

His head jerked toward the voice. He could see Incubus coming out of the shadows. His friend's eyes were darting from place to place.

"Incubus…is something wrong?"

Incubus's eyes darted from side to side. He was rubbing his hands like there were cold. But he knew better….he was nervous.

"The man in the black mask is here, Sensei. You need to go. It isn't safe," Incubus said in a panic.

The man in the black mask…the others spoke of him and what he has doing. His shadow friends spoke of him in fear.

He debated on what to do.

Finding out more about the man in the black mask would help his students. It would also help him find out how he has been doing the shutdowns. But…unlike his students, the man in the black mask was experienced. Without his personas, if he were to confront the man in the black, it would take all of his skills and training to make the fight even.

He wasn't sure if he could win.

But…

"What about the others? Are they safe?" He asked.

Incubus shook his head.

"I don't know. I….I am sorry."

"Then we will find them together. I am not leaving them and I am not leaving you alone either. Do you know where you last saw them?" He asked.

Incubus nodded his head and pointed down the dark tunnel.

"Lead the way but be quiet," He said.

Incubus nodded and slowly, leaded them into the dark tunnels.

His hand tightened on the sheath of his sword. The eerie silence was off putting and foreign to him.

"There! They are in there!" Incubus said as he pointed at the spiraling vortex.

Why on earth would they go in there?

He is going to have a talk with his friends about safety when he found them.

He and Incubus stepped into the vortex and landed at a dead end.

This place was different from the rest of Mementos. Bright for one…like someone turned on the lights.

Oh, there is a spiraling vortex behind him.

Interesting…

"Sensei!" Lilim's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned his attention to Lilim with Black Frost following behind her.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked.

"Well…Harti said that the man in the black mask is here. So, I went looking for Black Frost and Slime. I found Black Frost then I saw this place. It looked safe. So, we came here…Now, you are here. You shouldn't be here. Not safe at all, Sensei."

"I was worried about you….?" He said before something…saw someone standing behind them.

It looked human but he could sense that it wasn't human. It looked like a man wearing a heavy red jacket and heavy brown cargo pants with a brown cap on his head. The biggest clue were the guy's bright yellow eyes and whole glowing thing.

The guy didn't even notice that they were there.

"I am not going to tell him. I am not going to tell him. No No No," The man said as he rubbed his hands together.

"Sir?" He said.

"No…No. I am not a snitch. No No…No…" The man said over and over.

"Hee Hoo," Black Frost said its grabbed his hand.

"You aren't going to get anything out of him like that, Sensei. Hell…your students can't barely get anything out of them before they turn all crazy," Incubus said.

His students did talk about their missions but he wasn't quite sure on the details.

Honestly, as long as they came home safety and unharmed. It wasn't his business.

Maybe, it is time to make it his business.

"What do my students do?"

"Joker talk them for…like a moment. They don't listen. So, they knock some sense into them then they realized how dumb they are. Then they go poof," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!"

"Oh, and they get some shiny stuff too."

"Interesting. What…" He said before he was cut off by two strong arms picking him up and move him to a dark corner behind some blockade.

"EEEK!" Lilim shouted.

"Put me down!" Incubus said.

"Hee Hoo!" Black Frost shouted.

"SSHHHH! He is coming," Oni said as he set Incubus and Lilim down in the corner.

Fuu-Ki set him and Black Frost down and pressed them into the corner. They stood in front of them with their weapons ready.

His eyes darted to the man who was looking around as if he sensed something was coming. Few minutes of silence, he saw him come out of the vortex.

Honestly, he didn't know what to expect when he saw the man. From the others, he was just the man in the black mask.

Well…that part is right. Although, the man in the black mask took a page from Ann's outfit. It was black and skin tight. It couldn't be comfortable. He couldn't make out of the face but he could tell the man had brownish hair.

The man in the black man approached the other man. While the man didn't pay attention to them, he did paid attention to the other man.

"I won't tell you," The man shouted at the man in the black mask.

"Pity. I would have let you live if you did. I hate having to destroy such a valuable source of information," The man in the black mask said as he drew his gun.

"No, ya won't. You don't think tha I haven' figure it out already. I know, man. I know!" The man said.

"Not even for information that you prize so much."

The man paused for a moment.

"What kind of info?"

"A name and a place of a "friend."

The man's eyes darted back and forward. He frowned. The voice sounded so familiar. He heard before but where…..

"If I give ya the name, I ge the friend's name?" The man said.

"Of course," The man in the black mask said with the wave of his hand.

His eyes widen and his stomach dropped into his stomach.

It clicked. He knew that voice…that thing that he does with his hands.

He knew who the man in the black mask.

"No." The man said.

"What did you say?"

"I sai no. I am not a snitch."

"Well…then. I am sorry to hear that. No matter…your fate was seal from the beginning," Akechi said as he drew his gun.

The man's eyes widen as Akechi shot his gun directly into the man.

He watched in horror as the man screamed and fell to the ground. He watched as shadowy smoke rose from the fallen man.

Akechi sighed as he took out a piece of cloth to wipe his gun.

"Pity. You made my job slightly more difficult. Nothing that I can't fix, of course." Akechi said with a sigh.

His thoughts were racing. Why? Why?

His body were shaking but his hands were firm on the handle of his blade. While Akechi was cleaning his gun, his glance moved to their corner.

Fuu-Ki and Oni pressed them harder into the corner. Lilim's hand were firmly over Incubus's mouth. Black Frost was clinging him.

The tension was thick as Akechi stared into their corner.

Suddenly, the tension broke with a beeping noise.

Akechi picked up the phone from his pocket and shut off the phone.

"It is done. What annoyance. Now, I have to report in. He won't be pleased at all. Ah well" Akechi said to the phone.

While the conversation didn't hold any information, he found Akechi's face interesting. It wasn't his calm expression or his excited expression but it was one of anger and hatred.

Whoever he reported too…Goro hated them.

Then why would he work for someone that he hated so much?

Does the person have something on him? Is he working a case? So many thoughts running through his head at the moment that he almost missed Akechi disappearing into the vortex. Part of him wanted to follow and demand answers but his eyes were draw to the spot of smoking man.

They waited for a minutes before moving from their spot.

"That was so close, Sensei," Lilim said.

He nodded his head as he approached the man. He kneed down at the man's side. His hands hovered over the man's body. How does he stop it?

"You can't help him, Sensei. No one can," Incubus said sadly.

The smoking man looked toward him.

"I….did…:cough:...not tell…him. No….:cough:," The man said with a cough.

"You didn't. You did good," He said.

The man smiled.

"I….good…?"

He smiled sadly. He tried to offer some measure of comfort to the man.

"Yes…very good."

The man smiled then disappeared into a flash of light. At his feet, there laid another card. He picked up.

 _Mudo_

With shaken hands, he put the card into his pocket.

His thoughts were racing.

Does he rush to his students? Does he confront Akechi?

What does he do now?

"Hee Hoo?"

He snapped out of his racing thoughts as he felt Black Frost give him a hug.

He smiled a little.

"Thank you, Black Frost. I feel better now."

"Do you know him, Sensei?" Incubus asked.

"Yes," He said.

"Well…that sucks. I would have thought that your students would have told you?"

"What?"

End of the Man in the Black Mask

Next Chapter: Break in Play: The Much Ado About Something

A/N: I am sorry. Really, I am. I had to do it. Before you guys get on my case, yes, I am very aware that I wrote something different in the beginning. Because guess what? Yu lied. He has his reasons and you will find out in the next chapter. As for the next chapter….holy cow…it is long (4000+ words.) It was a lot of fun to write. I just started writing Futaba's castle. It is hilarious…I haven't made it to her palace. Thank you guys for the reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. They make my day.

PS: Guess who got PQ2 today? ME!


	31. The Much Ado About Something

Catch-22: A Break in Play: The Much Ado About Something

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Ryuji is terrified of his Sensei. An angry Sensei…he might could handle but a disappointed Sensei…not so much.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment." – Henry David Thoreau.

Ryuji wasn't going to say this out loud or anything.

He didn't want to get any looks from the others but…

Sensei utterly terrified him.

He is like his mom…a teacher…and a counselor rolled into one.

He like knew shit was going down just by looking at you.

It scared the hell out of him.

He knew that Sensei is cool. He trained them and stuff. He didn't talk to them like they were stupid. He talked them like they were equals. It was nice especially since Mona was an ass about everything.

He had a happy moment when Sensei laid that smackdown.

Man, he wished that his phone could have took a picture.

Still…Sensei scared him like no other adult in his life beside his mom.

For example, the whole things with the exams….man…

See, they were hanging out with Ren and Boss and well….okay, it was after exams and they couldn't talk about Medjed.

" _So, someone informed the school that I have been tutoring you," Sensei said with amusement._

 _Everyone at the table paused then looked at Makoto. Her face turned bright red. Sensei playing with phone. He didn't even look up at them when he said that._

 _Shit…he is totally going to lecture them on their grades._

" _I needed a plausible excuse to meet with everyone and Sensei did say that we could him as a resource," Makoto said._

" _Oh my god…Sensei knows my grades. I promise to better in English…History…and Science," Ann said in a panic._

 _He groaned softly as he hit his head on the table._

 _Man, he knew that he should have skipped today._

 _Sensei chuckled as he put away his phone._

" _I can imagine that I will see an improvement. Makoto has informed me of your new study schedule," Sensei said._

 _The groans around the table went up a notch._

 _Damn it…Boss was even laughing at them._

" _But…the school still wants me to speak with you and I will. Everyone will wait outside for a moment expect Makoto."_

" _Do you want me to leave too?" Boss asked behind the counter._

" _No…Makoto looks terrified. I am sure that your presence will be reassure them that I am not going to eat them." Sensei said cheerfully._

" _SENSEI!" Makoto shouted._

 _He glanced over at Makoto._

 _Sensei was right. She did look terrified._

" _It will only take a few minutes. Sooner that we start, the sooner that we get this done."_

 _Everyone groaned as they got up expect Makoto._

 _They shuffled out of the door._

 _Once everyone was outside, there was a few minutes of silence._

" _I wondered what Sensei is going to talk with us about," Ren said._

" _I don't know. I do not attend your school. I can't imagine that he will discuss grades with me," Yusuke said._

" _Unlike us, Ren and Makoto aced their exams," Ann said._

" _Ugh…grades again," He said._

" _Well…Sensei talked to me earlier. He asked me how I was doing? Of course, I was fine," Morgana said._

 _He rolled his eyes. Mona was on his best behavior since Sensei laid the smackdown._

" _Maybe…it is a wellness check! Sometimes, my model agency does it," Ann said._

 _He sighed._

 _That was even worse than grades!_

 _He heard the door's bell ring behind him. He turned around to see Makoto stepping out._

" _Yusuke, it is your turn," Makoto said as she held the door open for Yusuke._

 _Yusuke nodded and walked into the café. Makoto let go of the door and turned toward them._

" _So…how was it?" Ann asked._

" _He asked how I was doing? What are my future plans? When I said law enforcement, he asked me some questions like if I found that I didn't like the profession. He didn't say it directly but I think that he is worried that my work as a thief might disheartened me to the profession. I told him that this has only made me stay my course."_

" _Wow…."_

" _It was actually really nice. My sister is focus about me getting into college. She isn't really focus on what happens once I get there. It was a pleasant conversation. Oh, I got some delicious cookies for doing well on my exam. He said that he wanted reward me for my good grades," She said as she held a bag of cookies._

" _OOoo…can I try one?" He asked._

 _She held the bag of cookies to her chest._

" _No, Sensei made them for me," Makoto said._

" _Well…we know Ren will get some cookies unlike someone else I know," Morgana said with that smug look on his face._

" _Shut you!" He said angrily._

 _The door's bell rang again and he turned around to Yusuke stepped out with a cookie in his mouth._

" _You got cookies too!"_

" _Of course. It is your turn, Ryuji," Yusuke said as he ate another one from his bag. He did notice that that it was smaller._

 _He groaned._

 _Maybe, he should run away. He was pretty sure that he could out run everyone but Sensei would probably end up catchin him._

 _Crap._

 _He walked in the café to see Sensei drink coffee in one of the booths. Boss looked so amused._

" _You are totally scaring these kids," Boss said._

 _Sensei chuckled._

" _Sit down, Ryuji. I promise this will be quick and mostly painless," Sensei said._

 _He slipped into the seat across from Sensei._

" _How are you?" Sensei asked._

" _I…I am fine, Sensei." Ryuji said._

" _Even if with everything going on at your school…?"_

" _It is a little stressful and stuff…,"_

 _He shifted in his seat._

"… _But…becoming friends with everyone and takin up running again has helped."_

" _Briefly, Ren told me about it. How has it been for you?"_

" _It was been different, you know. Before…I runnin with a team…a purpose. I mean…I still kind run on purpose but you know…it is for me now."_

" _It sounds nice."_

" _It does."_

" _I also heard that you are quite the trainer."_

 _He felt his face turn red and he started scratching the back of head._

" _Well…uhh…"_

" _Have you thought about becoming one after your school years?"_

 _He blinked._

" _Ya know…I haven't thought about it."_

" _Perhaps, you should give it some thought. You have a talent for it. Have any thoughts about your future?"_

" _Not really…I just tryin getting through school, Sensei."_

" _Understandable."_

 _His eyes darted from Sensei to the table. Slowly, he saw a carefully wrapped bag of cookies come into his view. It was smaller than Makoto and Yusuke's bags. He blinked and looked up at Sensei._

 _Sensei smiled softly._

" _I expect your grades to improve. Can you send in Ann next?" Sensei said._

 _He nodded as he took the bag. He stood up to get out of the booth._

" _Oh, Ryuji?"_

 _He stopped dead in his track._

" _You are passionate and driven. You are stronger and better than you know. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. If you ever doubt that, look to your friends."_

 _He thought that Sensei was joking but he looked into his eyes._

 _He felt his throat tightened up._

 _Sensei truly believe that…_

 _Damn…_

 _-P4P5P4-_

"Do you know why Sensei wanted to meet with us here?" Makoto asked as they stood in front of the school.

"I don't know. He just texted that a driver would be picking us up," Ann said as she looked at her phone.

"Man…it must be nice to have that kind of money," He said.

"He is a president of a well-established company now. I can imagine that it is more of a company vehicle than his own."

"I just wished that he would show up already," Mona said.

Speak of the devil…

He watched as a black car pulled to the curb. One of the doors open to reveal a tall guy with silver hair in a blue suit step out.

"Theo!" Ann said.

"Theo?" Ren asked.

"Uh huh…it is Sensei's personal assistant."

"Hello, Lady Ann. I am asked by my Master to take you to meet him," Theo said with a bow then he moved to open the door.

"Master?" Makoto asked.

"Theo…is kind of different." Ann said with a shrug. She stepped into the black car.

"Man…you can't leave it like that," He said as he followed her inside.

Damn…this looked nice!

He looked around in awe. Man, he could steal these seats. So nice. Dude, it even has a dvd player and tv in the back!

"So, this is how the rich lives," Morgana said as he jumped out of Ren's bag. Once everyone got into the car, they started moving.

"Of course…my…Oh, look…free nuts," Yusuke said as he grabbed nuts from the tray and tossed into his mouth.

He shook his head.

"I am curious about the whole Master thing…." Ren asked.

"According to Sensei, Theo served an elderly guy since he was little. The guy got sick. Since the guy was an old family friend, he asked if Sensei could look after him while he was in the hospital. Sensei agreed," Ann said.

"And calling Sensei Master? It seems old fashioned for Sensei," Makoto said.

"According to Sensei, he has been trying get Theo not to call him that. He thinks that it is because he has been calling the old guy Master for so long that the title moved to him. So, he kind of gave up."

"That would make sense."

"Now, what should we watch?" He said as he found the remote.

"Oooo…my favorite soap opera…I have it recorded but…" Ann said.

"I would prefer the nature channel," Yusuke said.

"The news!" Morgana added.

"Yes, it would be wise to check the news," Makoto said.

"Agreed. Morgana and I usually at night but…" Ren said with a wave.

"That is no fun."

Makoto gave him a look. He sighed as he gave her the remote.

He turned to look out the window when he heard the click of the remote.

He heard the news babbling in the background as he watched the building and people pass them by.

They hit a bit of traffic here and there but hey were actually making pretty good time to…whatever they were going.

Finally, the car slowly pulled up to one of those fancy office buildings. All glass and metal…Once, the car stopped, Theo was almost there instantly to open the door for them.

Everyone shuffled out of the car.

"Come…follow me," Theo said as he walked toward the building.

Everyone kind of looked at each other for a moment then started to follow Theo. Theo lead them through a pair of automatic doors into a giant waiting area. There was a lady at the front desk.

"Mr. Kobayashi, here are the guest badges that you wanted," the lady said as she handed Theo some badges.

"Thank you, Ms. Ito. Here are your passes. Don't lose them, please. Once you are done putting them on, please, make your way to the elevator," Theo said as he passed the badges out to them.

He clipped the badge to his shirt then started to follow the others to the elevator. Once everyone was on, Theo hit the 5th floor button. It took only a few minutes to get to the 5th floor.

It was kind of weird that no one was talking…not even Morgana.

Maybe, it was because of this Theo dude.

Once the doors open, Theo led them down a hallway to a pair of wooden double doors. Theo opened door for them.

"Have a seat," Theo said as they passed by him into the room.

It looked like one of those conference rooms that you see in the movies. Huge ass windows with a long wooden table with those seats. Ooo…is that one of those new hologram projections?!

Sensei was staring out one of those windows with his back turned away from them.

Everyone took a seat at the table. He took a seat next to Ren. He heard the door click behind them and he watched as Theo walked down to where Sensei was at the end of table.

"Is the room secure, Theo?" Sensei asked.

"Yes, Master." Theo said as he stopped and bow.

Sensei nodded as Theo turned away from Sensei and faced them.

"So, I found out some interesting information that has come to light. Perhaps, you can clarify why I wasn't informed," Sensei said as he looked out the window.

"What is it, Sensei?" Makoto said.

What in the hell is Sensei going on about? They told him everything. He looked at the others in confusion.

"Why wasn't I informed that Akechi was the man in the black mask?" Sensei said.

Oh, shit…

He felt himself sink into his seat. Hell, Cap'tin was even quiet. Yusuke looked paler than normal. Ann looked like that she was about to cry. Makoto looked down at the table like it held all of the answers. Hell, even Ren looked shaken.

Morgana jumped out of Ren's bag.

"How did you find out?" Morgana said.

Damn it, cat. Shut up…

"I went down and to visit my friends. He was down there as well."

"Well…why didn't you stop him?! You know what he has been doing?!"

"Shut up, cat! You are making it worse!" He shouted as he stood up from the chair.

"Oh, shut up, Ryuji. You just want to stay in his good graces like a damn…" Morgana said.

"Ryuji, please, seat down. Morgana….it has become clear to me that you haven't learned your lesson about deflecting the truth," Sensei said as he turned around in the chair.

He glanced over at Sensei as he took a seat back down. The look that Sensei gave Morgana…damn….

It made Morgana looked like that he has been dropped into a bucket of water.

"There are three reasons why I didn't confront Akechi in that moment. One, I was placed in an unknown situation and no idea what I was up against. In theory, I could have taken him on but…at what cost? Which brings me to reason two…my friends were with me. Could you see Lilim…or Black Frost fighting Akechi? Because they would since I would be fighting him. The cost is too high for me to pay."

"They are just shadows…I mean."

"How can you say such a thing…Harti healed your wounds when you were tired…." Yusuke said in horror.

"SHUT UP, MORGANA! How could say that about them?! About Lilim?! Or Black Frost! You know them! Didn't you and Incubus have a conversation about sushi for crying out loud!" Ann said as she slammed her hands on the table.

Holy shit….Ann looked pissed and about to cry at the same time. Ren and Makoto got up to comfort Ann…or hold her back if she decided to go for it.

Morgana is screwed.

"Lady Ann….I am…" Morgana said.

The cat looked horrified. His eyes darted to everyone in the room.

He found no support here.

"Morgana….I think that it is best that you go inside the bag," Ren said softly as he finally got Ann to sit down again.

Morgana's head duck down. His tail was so low on the ground.

"One moment, if you please," Sensei said as he looked to Ren. Ren nodded.

"My third reason is that I heard Akechi talking to himself before he left. From my impression, they are working together. Although, Akechi doesn't look pleased."

"That is definitely new information. Anything else?" Makoto asked.

Sensei shook his head.

"No…apparently, neither did Akechi," Sensei said as he clicked on a remote. The hologram projection light up with a man's face.

It looked like from the picture was from his record.

"This is the man that Akechi was trying get information from him but Akechi couldn't…So, he…shot him. I tried to save him but I couldn't…I didn't know how and he…" Sensei said.

The look on Sensei's face….it made him feel ashamed.

Grief.

Sensei was grieving for this complete stranger.

Damn it….Akechi.

Sensei didn't need this at all. Your friend doesn't need this at all.

"Officially, his cause of death is a drug overdose but we know better."

"May…I ask a question, Sensei?" Makoto said with hesitation.

"Go on."

"Are you still going to be friends with Akechi?"

"Yes. One, I hope to find out more information about our unknown person and far it goes. Two, I want to know why. Maybe…even stop him."

"Can you do that, Sensei?" Makoto asked in awe.

"I can. I have done it before," Sensei said with a nod.

He was confused. What in the hell does that mean?

"There is another reason that I brought you here. As you know…I have been recently promoted, there is some confusion among you on the reason why."

Everyone sort of nodded their heads. They talked about it but they really didn't get what it meant.

"When we first met, I told you that my objective was to find out about the metal shutdowns. The reason was that shared to similar symptoms to the Apathy Syndrome."

"I heard about that. It happened at Tatsumi Port Island but they stated that it was a massive gas leak."

Sensei snorted.

"That is far from the truth. I wish that I had time to explain it. It is quite a story. I will give you the files if you wanted to read about it. On paper, those suffering from the syndrome suffer from incapacitating levels of apathy. When it strikes the inflicted will collapse where ever they are and become unable to move, feed, or care for themselves. In reality, Apathy Syndrome is having one's psyche getting eaten by a shadow."

Ann grasped. Ren's mouth and his mouth dropped. Hell, he could even hear Morgana's grasp from the bag.

"So, shadows aren't new…" Ren asked.

"No…they have been around a long time. By appearance, Kirijo Group has interests in technology, research, land holdings, and social interest projects. The main goal of the group, it has been to study shadows and working on defeating them for good."

"How did you come to work with them? I am curious." Yusuke said.

"Would you believe a fight to the death? Oh, that happened twice," Sensei said with a chuckle.

"Master! You jest." Theo said in horror.

"It is the truth and I am still alive. About two months after the tv world, I came home for visit. The tv world become active again and somehow a lot of persona users got stuck in a tournament. That is how I came to meet to Mitsuru-san, the president of the Kirijo group and leader of the Shadow Operatives. It is a group of persona users who work with various governments around the world to fight the threat of shadows. After high school, I joined them."

"So…that explain the promotion?" Ann asked.

"Kind of. Our current government has become…unwelcoming to our work. At one time, we faced no roadblocks. Now, every time we turned around, it is this form…and that form. Red tape stopped us at every turn. We talked about someone inside the government stopping us. Mitsuru-san believe that the threat of shadows was too important for this situation to deal with such pettiness. She moved the majority of the company to countries…more welcoming to our fight. She didn't want to leave Japan unprotected. She left me in charge of the offices here and finished my schooling. She was very insisted on that fact," Sensei said in amusement.

"Wait…She said she believed that someone within the government is stopping Kirijo Group. Wait…does she know about us?"

"Of course. If she believed that your group was causing the shutdowns…we finished the situation quickly. And yes to your other question, we believe the government that once worked with us…is now, working against us."

Holy shit.

This is making his head hurt.

"It couldn't come at worse time. There has been increase number of reports of shadows. The red has been known shadow attacks. Yellow is the shadow sightings. Green is reports of shadow activity but no evidence." Sensei said as he clicked his remote again.

A map of world came up and damn thing lighten up like a Christmas tree.

Everyone grasped.

"My word…."

"Shit."

"There is so many…"

"Oh my god…"

"Wow…"

"We have gained some new persona users and new tools in our fight but as you notice…there are more of them, then there are of us. We can't confirm it yet but we may have found our first Palace outside of Japan."

Double shit.

"Not confirmed?" Ren asked.

"Several friends of mine are going to check out. I would also like to go with you on your next Palace. Hopefully, the data that I will able gather will help us figure it out."

Ren looked at everyone.

"I see no problem with it," Ren said.

"Yes, this is important to know," Makoto nodded.

"Agreed," Yusuke said.

"Anything to help, Sensei," Ann said.

"Fine with me," He added.

He heard a fine from Ren's bag.

"Last, my new position has offered you some measure of protection and resources. While I can't protect you if you get arrested, I can protect your families. Your new resources included access to a gym, a small food and monetary staple, and our research on shadows. Theo will also act as your contract if you can't reach me in emergencies."

Wow…he couldn't wait to see the gym.

"Thank you, Sensei," Makoto said.

"A food staple?" Yusuke said in excitement.

"I have seen you eat, Yusuke. The monetary staple is for supplies which will be added to the jar for Ren to spend as he sees fit," Sensei said with a grin.

He laughed.

The room felt a little lighter since they came in. Everyone was chattering happily among themselves.

But….

He did feel bad for Sensei. No one told him that his friend is trying to kill people and stuff. No one said anything about that.

He told Ren that he was working on getting better with himself.

 _Be a man._

He nodded his head to the Captain.

He stood up from his chair and bowed to Sensei.

"I am very sorry for not telling you about Akechi. That was a crappy thing to do," He said.

He heard chairs moved.

"I am very sorry. I am glad that no one was hurt," Ann said.

"I am sorry as well," Yusuke said.

"I am sorry. So, very sorry.," Makoto said.

He heard another sorry from Ren's bag.

"I am sorry. If you going to blame anyone, blame me. I and Morgana figured out first. I don't know why I didn't tell you. I thought that you were like all of the adults in our lives. Maybe, I figured that you wouldn't believe us if we told you," Ren said.

"First off…I accept your apology and please, stop bowing."

He stopped and faced Sensei.

"Actually, I thought that might be the case but that doesn't change how I found out. As your Sensei, I am very disappointed in you."

There was that feeling again….the urge to duck under the table and never come up. Judging by their Sensei's face, he wasn't bluffing either.

He was truly disappointed by them.

Shit.

"So, I decided on an activity. I wouldn't say punishment because it isn't one. I will schedule it when everyone is available and after you handle the Medjed, understood?"

"Yes, Sensei," Everyone said.

The disappointed look on Sensei's face turned into the one of sadness.

He looked tired.

 _He is an old captain of the ship._

"One lesson that I can't teach…is your choices will have a reaction. Right now? You have only seen the good of your choices. It might be today…or tomorrow or next month…you face with outcome that you will reflect badly on you and what you do. I just hope that the consequences are minor and the fallout will not be bad. Promise me that you will think things through before you act?"

"We promise," Makoto said.

 _And he has the scars to prove it._

"We promise,' He added.

End of The Much Ado About Something

Next Chapter: The Rank

A/N: Holy crap, this chapter…That is all I really going to say about it. Although, I really enjoy the moments where Yu and his students just bond. It makes my little heart melt. I have a chapter plan to explore Yu's mindset about Akechi and his friendship at this point forward. But coming up next is Ren and Yu's training session and Futaba's palace….and a surprise break in play. WHOA! Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews, favorites, follows, etc. Always thankful them.

PS: Yes, I called him Sensei in PQ2.


	32. The Rank

Catch-22: The Rank

By; M14Mouse

Summary: Ren gets his lesson and Yu gets to play Igor

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"A true teacher would never tell you what to do. But he would give you the knowledge with which you could decide what would be best for you to do."  
― Christopher Pike

Yu glanced at his phone and took a sip of his coffee.

Ren was running late.

He has no idea if it was school, the train, or even one of his friends.

Honestly, he almost felt bad for asking Ren to come. Maybe, he could fit in his training session with another…maybe Makoto or Ann. They don't seem to cause havoc when he left them along with his shadow friends.

Maybe, he should have done that instead.

He knew how it worked.

Social Links are a pain to manage. Like the American saying of running around like a chicken with your head cut off was a great way of putting his first year at home. He loved his friends…honestly, he does. But how many phone calls…late night fishing trips…study sessions…did he have to do?

Once, he asked Theo about it.

"My Master believed you were up to the task," Theo said.

He snorted.

He had another impression. Igor and Margaret enjoy watching him run around.

"Hey, Sensei. Sorry, that I am late. We had a team meeting about…you know," Ren said as he dropped his bag on the chair next to them then took across from him.

Ah…yes, Medjed.

He could offer his assistance but this was clearly their fight.

"That is okay. I know how it is. Why don't you order something before we get started? Here," He said as he lied down some money on the table.

"Thanks. You don't have to, Sensei," Ren said.

"Ren…I have seen the cost of weapons and medicines. The others may be blind to the cost but I am not. Now…go and get something to eat."

Ren's face flushed for a moment then grabbed the money from the table. He got up and approached the order counter. He glanced over at Ren's bag. Morgana peeked his head out for a moment before ducking back down.

After the incident, everyone said that Morgana has been strangely quiet. Maybe, he should move the exercise up.

His experience told him something else was bothering the cat. He just hasn't quite figure out what yet.

Maybe later, he will text Ren about it. Morgana is Ren's best friend even if he denied it. Ren can be very insightful when it came to Morgana.

"I am kind curious on why here and not La Blanca," Ren asked as he returned to his seat with a piece of cake and a cup of coffee.

"I didn't want Sojiro-san to question what I was doing."

"Good point," Ren said as he took bite of his cake.

He hummed as he watched Ren eat.

Ren looked like that he needed the food. He knew that Sojiro feed him but he knew from experience that traveling through tvs…or palaces were a lot of work on the body.

Once Ren was finished, he took out a deck of tarot cards and set them on the table.

Ren stared at the cards then at him.

"I had a talk with one of your predecessors once about how he viewed his personas."

Ren leaned closer and Morgana even popped his head out of the bag in curiosity.

"He called like shooting a card through a sand storm. Of course, the way he summoned his persona was a little different too."

"Oh?"

"Some persona users used something called Evoker. It is a gun type device that helps them summon their personas."

"How did it work?" Ren asked.

"By shooting themselves with it."

Ren and Morgana grasped in surprise.

"It was quite a shock to see them use it for the first time."

"I thought the masks were hard. I have to go through them in my head. Sometimes, I can feel them all. They want a say or having a feeling. IT is weird even after I…never mind."

"Interesting enough…I said the same thing."

" _Gun?" He asked._

" _Cards?" Minato said._

" _It works."_

" _The same."_

" _The headaches are not fun."_

" _Agreed."_

"But there is some symbolism to it. The others have told me that the Evoker symbolized death and accepting of death. It also acts of a reminder that the persona users can die fighting shadows."

Ren and Morgana stared at him like he lost his mind.

"I think…I stick to masks."

"Me too," Morgana added.

"He expressed to me once that behind his Evoker, he saw these…." He said as he waved to the pile of cards.

"He said that it was easier for him to see them in his head. Sometimes as cards…sometimes as the personas themselves. Sometimes, he would link the persona with the card. But to be honest, a lot of it is trial and error and trusting your gut that you are summoning the right persona for the situation."

Ren nodded his head.

"So, today…we are working on switching your masks."

"Should we be down in Mementos for that?"

"No…not really. We are linking your mask to these cards. Lets start with an easy one…Oh! Here…the Fool," He said as he picked up the cards to find the card that he was looking for.

He laid down the Fool Card on the table.

"What in the hell?! That doesn't mean anything?!" Morgana said.

Ren just stared at him like he grew a second head.

"You knew?"

"Wild Cards are often associated with the Fool Arcana. Do you know why?" He said.

Ren shook his head.

"They represent zero…which shows they have infinite possibilities and choices before them. It might even explain their ability to use multiple personas."

"Oh…"

"Anyway…what personas do you have of the Fool Arcana?"

"Uh…Decarabia."

 _Interesting. He doesn't bare his true persona._

….?

It might be a different fusion. We have no idea what the fake is using to fusion his personas.

 _True._

"Okay…how about the Magician?"

"I have a few of those. Chorozon and Sandman."

"Great. We start with those and then add more. Oh, please, tell me when your head starts hurting, that would be a good place to stop."

"Honestly, I don't know why you said that. Ren doesn't get headaches from using his personas," Morgana said.

He stared at Ren, who took off his glasses and rubbed them with a napkin.

Morgana looked from Ren to him then back to Ren.

"Ren….?" Morgana said.

"They aren't that bad."

Morgana blinked then looked down. He seen that look before. Yosuke and Chie wore the same expression when he told them.

Shame.

Morgana is ashamed that he missed them.

"Still…the point of this exercise is work on switching between masks. Not to give you a mass headache. Understood?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Okay…lets begin. I lie down the cards represent by your mask and you will switch the masks inside your head. I will start out slow then get faster as we process. Understood?"

Ren nodded his head.

He lied down the Magician card.

"Sandman"

Then he lied down the Fool card.

"Decarabia."

He switched between the two cards…sometimes, pulling the same card twice. After few turns, Ren got the hang of it.

"Okay….slight break then we add another card. Now…anymore questions?"

Ren nodded.

"I have a friend trying to teach about tarot cards but she is all doom and gloom about it. I don't know. I feel that she is wrong about it."

"I think I know who you are talking about. She has a little table at a street corner?"

Ren nodded.

"Met her?"

"Once…she was quite memorable."

Ren laughed.

"Yes, she is. So…."

"Tarot cards are neutral…neither good or bad. Her thoughts on her deck is doom and gloom. I am guessing that all of her readings are equally so?"

Ren nodded.

"I view them differently. For example, the Death card…it means endings and personal change. But endings aren't always a bad thing. Back home, I have an older friend that lost her husband. She blamed herself for her husband's death for quite a while. It took her time to realize that she wasn't at fault for her husband's death. Change isn't bad thing. Just to some people found it a little scary."

"So…you can equally have a card that good or bad in your reading."

"Correct."

Ren looked thoughtful for a moment. He wondered if he formed a bond with Akechi.

He felt a moment of sadness rush through him.

"Ready to start again? How about Chariot this time?" He asked.

He added the Chariot to his deck and began the activity again. After a few minutes of having Ren switching masks, he stopped again.

"How is the head?"

"Not bad. I think that this is helping, Sensei,"

"Good. One more card then we will stop for today. Questions?" He said.

"Yes…how do you know so much about this?" Ren said as he leaned back and waved his hand.

"A friend. She was very insisted in teaching me," He said with a smile.

"So does Chichya but you explain a lot better."

He chuckled.

"I try."

"Although, I think that she is trying to get me on her side. I think that she is just lonely."

"Which Arcana is she?"

"Fortune. Wait…" Ren said then stopped. Ren tilted his head and he just smiled.

"Actually, that explained a lot. She is probably in reverse. She is resistance to change at the moment, correct?"

Ren just continued to stare at him then nodded his head.

"Hopefully, your influence will move her forward," He said with a grin.

Being vague was kind of fun.

Now, he knew how Igor felt.

"I hope so. She seems nice when she isn't all doom and gloom."

He laughed.

"No matter. Now, I have a question for you. What are you planning to do about Medjed?"

"We have help but we aren't sure if it will lead to anything. Whoever it is…is kind of strange."

He wondered what that meant.

He nodded.

He watched as Ren's face blanked out for a moment.

Ahhh…a rank up perhaps?

He wondered what Arcana he filled in Ren's deck sort speak.

Maybe one day…he will ask.

Next Chapter: The Sand and It is Everywhere

A/N: Ren finally gets his lesson. Yu makes a pretty good Igor, huh? Next chapter with starts Futaba's palace. YAY! Oh…and Yu finally says something to the twins. To my reviewer at , yes, Mona and Ren found out during the tv station trip that Akechi was the man in the black mask. Papyrus…you crack me. In my head, I now think of Yu as the hippy president. Anyway, read and review if you wish. Again…thank you for the wonderful support.

PS: What should be the fates of Yu's shadow friends?


	33. The Sand and It is Everywhere

Catch-22: The Sand and It is Everywhere

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu in a van with a bunch of teenagers (and no one dies).

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.

– Søren Kierkegaard

"I have been waiting for this," Yusuke said.

Yu tilted his head slightly as he watched Mona turned into a van.

"I make sure that the AC on full blast," Mona said.

"You are so considerate," Ann said.

"R…Right," Mona said.

"All right! Let's roll!" Ryuji said.

"Thank, Mona, for making space for me," Yu said as got into the van.

"No problem, Sensei," Mona said.

Once he took a seat, he watched as everyone got in. They were already complaining that they were hot.

He felt fine. It might have to do with the bath house in the tv world. Now, that was hot.

He felt Mona purr under his feet and he took off.

He glanced out of the window. There was sand…a lot of it.

"So, how did you come about this Futaba again?" He asked.

He glanced away from the window when he greeted by silence.

"Soo…how much of story do you know?" Ann said nervously.

"Enough for Sojiro to call me," He said in amusement.

That was an amusing conversation.

" _You know that your kids broke into my house." Sojiro said over the phone._

"… _.Who do I need to talk too? Did anyone die?"_

 _Sojiro chuckled._

" _No. They brought me sushi and they stumbled across Futaba…Nearly gave everyone involved a heart attack."_

" _Futaba?"_

 _Sojiro sighed._

" _I might as well tell you before the kids do. She is my adopted kid. She is going through some trying times right now. So, she is hiding out in her room."_

 _He hummed softly. He waited for Sojiro to continue talking._

" _I know that it isn't too bright of me. She isn't even my kid. She was a good friend of mine's kid. I just don't know what to do. The kid lost her mom…I don't know."_

" _You are doing the best you can. You are a good man, Sojiro. You are more willing to do something than most people wouldn't."_

 _He could almost hear Sojiro scratching his head over the phone. In a lot of ways, he is like Ren. They don't particular like praise. They avoid and become embarrassed by it._

" _Hmph."_

" _Oh, Sijiro?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _I only claim them when they are doing good."_

"In our defense, we did bring him sushi," Makoto said meekly.

"Yes, he told me about it. I like to know your side of the story. I know that you have informed me that you were looking into ways to stop Medjed," He said.

"Man, I still don't know why you won't help us," Ryuji added.

Makoto cut him off before he could speak.

"This isn't Sensei's fight, Skull."

"How isn't this his fight?! I mean, come on…that asshole…"

"From what we gathered, Akechi isn't a part of Medjed. We picked this fight, Skull. We have to end it."

"I guess, you are right," Ryuji said with a sigh.

"Anyway, we realized that we need someone equal in terms of skill to Medjed. When Futaba came forward to help us. As a price, we would have to steal her heart. When Ren pressed for more information, she promptly flipped out and stopped contracting us. As you know, the situation escalated, we decided Alibaba was only available avenue. We went contract her again."

"Makoto was super awesome and figured out that Futaba is Alibaba," Ann added.

"Well…she left some key clues…" Makoto flustered.

"Thus…the sushi incident," He said in amusement.

"Yes…and now we are here…it wasn't what I expected," Makoto said.

"Oh?"

"She is very smart and I expect her palace to be equally sophisticated."

"You know…you are kind of right. It just a lot of desert," Ryuji said.

"I mean, it sucks that it is so damn hot," Ann said with a sigh.

"I don't know. I think that it fits her. We know that the palace reflected a person's cognition. This pretty much show her view of the world outside of her room," Ren said.

"Desolate," Morgana said.

"I am enjoying the view of the golden ratio. I do wish that we arrive sooner," Yusuke said.

"Me too, man. It is so damn hot," Ryuji said.

"Are you sure the AC is on, Mona?" Ann said.

"As high as I can, Lady Ann," Mona said.

He turned to look out of the window again. He listened to them complain about how hot it was here.

He wondered briefly if he should tell them that there is a possible that it will be just as hot in the inside.

He decided against it for the sake of his ears.

Roughly, he felt someone pushed him against the window.

"RYUJI! You pervert!" Ann shouted.

"HEY!" Ryuji shouted.

"My word!" Yusuke said.

"STOP IT!" Mona shouted as the van rocked back and forward.

He sighed as he rubbed his cheek. He really didn't need to ask what happened. Subdue….wasn't Ryuji's strong suit.

He needed to do something before he got out and walk. He would rather not. Theo was rather proud of the suit that he picked out for him this morning. The sand here would ruin it.

"The bathhouse was worse," He said with a hum.

"The bathhouse?" Ren asked.

"Yes, one of the "palaces" if you will inside of the tv world."

"Okay…you have explained that one," Ryuji said.

"You remember Kanji, Ann?" He said.

"Yes, he is one of your friends. Wait a minute…."

"I am not sure how much of the files that you have read but someone was throwing people into the tv world as means to saving them. One of those people that was throw in was Kanji. Kanji's world was the bath house. Kanji is scared of do any "feminine" interests such knitting and crochet, due to the bullying."

"But he is so good at it. Remember I show you that bear, Queen?" Ann said.

"It was very cute," Makoto said in awe.

"He is making me one. He asked me what kind of things that I want with him. He is going to be so adorable!"

"Do you think that…he could make me one?"

"Me as well," Yusuke said.

"What?! Are you little old for that, Yusuke?" Ryuji said.

"Not really. I have seen pictures of his work and he has a very good eye. I can imagine that my bear will be provide inspiration for my future projects. I am sure that he would make you one if you ask," Yusuke said.

"WHA?!" Ryuji said.

He glanced over at Ren, who was trying not to laugh.

"Anyway, I am confused. So, a bath house?"

"He is very good at his work. It didn't stop him from question himself. To the point, Kanji compensates with a tough facade in order to avoid rejection, and he hides his interests. Of course, tv world represent suppressed desires. In his mind, his hobbies and interests linked toward homosexual. Thus, the bath house represented a world of love between men."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Ryuji said.

"No. Kanji is my friend. I just want him to accept himself which he has, I think. I can tell in some moments that it does bother him from time to time. My question is does bother you?" He said as he tilted his head to look at Ryuji.

"I would like switch seats with Skull," Yusuke said.

"What?! Why?!" Ryuji said.

"Because I know that look on Sensei's face. If you say something stupid, you will likely be in an uncomfortable situation. I rather not be a part of it," Yusuke said.

"He…Hey! I am not going to say anything. It is fine! I promise, Sensei!" Ryuji said in a panic.

He smiled.

"Good," He said.

"Beside if Sensei doesn't do anything…Kanji-san will. He is taller than Sensei and built like a truck," Ann added.

Ryuji's eyes widen.

"So…what happened next? In the bath house," Ren asked.

"Like I said before, suppressed desires….Kanji had to confront his. In turn, he unlocked his persona, Take-Mikazuchi."

He wondered if he should tell him that his persona evolved into another persona. No….it is best to leave that surprise for them.

"I knew it! Kanji-san is a persona user too!" Ann beamed.

"Yes, he is. Right now, he is watching the tv world which I can report is safe for now."

"That is good to hear," Ren added.

"Very much so."

"Alright, guys. We are here," Morgana said as they came to stop.

Everyone got out to stared at the pyramid.

"Whoa…" Ryuji said in awe.

"That is impressive," Yusuke said.

He looked up. It was impressive. His eyes turned away from the pyramid and took in the surroundings.

"It is so hot," Ann said with a sigh.

"The AC ain't workin' at all. The hell was that lukewarm air about?!" Ryuji said.

"That was the best I could do, so quit your yapping," Morgana said.

He sighed.

This again….

Honestly…

"Perhaps, it is time to go inside before Ann kills both of you," He said as he examined the surroundings.

For some reason…. this place saddened him.

"Lady Ann wouldn't dare…" Morgana said.

"Geez, shut up! Sensei is right. It's hot and you two idiots fighting are making me more irritated!" Ann said.

"I can't believe her palace is a pyramid," Makoto said.

"A pyramid is a tomb, right?" Ryuji said.

"Yes, it's a pharaoh's tomb," Yusuke said.

"That's how it's mostly known. There are a variety of theories on it. For instance, it's even said to be a device for reviving the dead," Makoto said.

"Reviving the dead, huh? It's beautiful nonetheless…It's perfectly conformed to the golden ratio…" Yusuke said.

He smiled slightly and turned to walk up the stairs.

"FINALLY!" Ryuji said.

He heard the other footsteps follow him. Finally, everyone made it to the door and Ren pulled it open.

A rush of cool air hit his face.

Ahh…that is nice. The others would surely stop complaining.

"Whoa, it's so nice inside! Is this place air conditioned or something?" Ryuji shouted.

"It may be because Futaba's room in reality has AC pumping through it. Either way, this is relief," Makoto said.

"Huh, our clothes still haven't changed even now. This has never happened before," Ann said.

That was interesting.

"It is refreshing that she doesn't see us as threat…but we are completely surrounded by walls," Yusuke said.

"Anyway, lets explore!" Morgana said.

Everyone nodded their heads. They crossed the pit of lava easy enough and finally made it to long staircase.

"There is so many damn stairs…" Ryuji said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar pair. He turned around to see Lilim and Black Frost by the door. He smiled and waved.

"SENSEI!" Lilim shouted.

"Hee hoo!" Black Frost said with a wave.

"What are those two doing here?" Morgana said.

"I don't know. I will go and find out. Why don't you go and see about that treasure?" He said.

"Right," Ren said.

He nodded and jumped back across to Black Frost and Lilim. Black Frost hugged him. He smiled softly as he hugged him back.

"What brings you two here?" He said.

"Oh! We are visiting Nue and Anubis. Nue likes to give us rides," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!" Black Frost said.

"That is really nice of him. I am not sure he would let me ride his back, Black Frost," He said with a grin.

"You can if you asked nicely!" Lilim said.

"I am sure that it is possible but I don't want to hurt him. I am taller and bigger than you two…"

He stopped speaking when he heard the echo of voices.

 _Creepy child….You kill her…Murderer…You are the one that killed her._

Instantly, his hand went for his sword.

He heard his students scream upstairs. He felt something grabbed his pants. He looked down at Black Frost, who shook his head.

"Black Frost….?"

"AHHHHH!"

He looked back up to see his students in their thieves outfits and running down the stairs. They duck against the wall as a giant ball of stone rolled down. The ball of stone fell into the lava.

Well…that was exciting.

"Are you well?" He shouted.

"We are safe, Sensei," Makoto shouted back. He watched as the others across back toward the exit.

He nodded his head. He sighed in relief.

"Not what?" Ann said once they were together.

"Even if we wanted to ask Futaba what's going on, it seems the door is shut. What do we do now?" Yusuke said.

"I think our best option is retreating for now. This is definitely more than what we expected. Why don't we prepared more and come back?" Morgana said.

"Good idea," Ren said.

He turned to Black Frost and Lilim.

"I will be back. You two have fun with Nue and Anubis, okay?" He said.

"Of course, Sensei! We will be here when you come back!" Lilim said with a wave.

"Hee hoo!" Black Frost added.

He smiled as he waved back. Then he pulled out his phone with the others and hit the app to return home.

"That was interesting," He said.

His students gave him a look. He smiled.

"Not exciting as the bath house. Why don't we go back to Leblanc to talk about your next move?"

The group grumbled as they headed out of the house. He followed behind them.

Hmmm….Futaba's palace felt familiar…he hasn't figured out why yet.

"Sensei? Are you okay?" Makoto asked as they arrived at Leblanc.

"Yes…I am thinking," He said.

"About?"

"The familiarity. I need to think it over for a bit then I will inform the others," He said.

The group entered the Leblanc and took a seat at one of the booths. Ren turned on the tv.

"The date that Medjed has set for the alleged cleanse is 8/21. That day is fast approaching. The Phantom Thieves, whom they singled out, hasn't made any notable actions at this time. Will Medjed carry out their cyberterrorism?" the tv announcer said on the tv.

"In order to stop them, we need to steal Futaba Sakura's heart before the 21st. Our deadline is about two days prior, so the 19th ," Makoto said.

"Meetin' in Shibuya then comin' here's a pain, right? Let's make this place our hideout for awhile," Ryuji said.

"That would work….until I find you a more suitable location," He said thoughtfully.

"What?" Ryuji said in surprise.

"I am working on finding you a more suitable hideout. You have been lucky so far. All of your missteps had led to allies. I don't believe that it will be wise to press it," He said.

"Sensei is right. We have been lucky. I do agree with Ryuji. This place would be the best hideout for now," Ren added.

"I got a question, Sensei. How are we going to explain your presence to the Boss?" Ryuji said.

"That is easy. Summer tutoring," He said with a grin.

Expect Makoto, the entire group groaned.

This is going to be an interesting summer break.

End of The Sand and It is Everywhere.

Next Chapter: The Twins

A/N: Your responses to my question last week were hilarious. My favorite response is they go and live with Dojima. The thought alone cracks me up. As for Yu's shadows' fates, I know probably 80% what is going to happen to each one. Interesting enough, Black Frost's fate is up air at this point. As you notice, I moved the secret base chapter to after Futaba joins the team. Again, I want to thank you for your reviews, favorites, kudos, etc. You guys are awesome.

I will leave you with a little snippet for a future chapter because I can.

"I am fine. Beside, we didn't have safe rooms when we explored the tv world."

"What did you have?"

"A fox."


	34. The Twins

Catch-22: The Twins

By: M14Mouse

Summary: With the others gone, Yu finds it to be a perfect time for him to talk to the twins.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.-Emily Post

"Hey, we've changed into our phantom thief costumes," Ann said as she looked at her clothes.

Ryuji looked at Yu.

"Maybe, we should have got Sensei an outfit. He kind of sticks out," Ryuji said.

He looked down at his clothes. Although, he was going to be in the back of the group, he still wore a comfortable pair of pants and a shirt. Just in case, he had to fight.

"I don't see anything wrong with them?" He said.

"There isn't anything wrong with them. They look very practical," Makoto said.

Unlike his students' outfits, he still isn't quite sure how they fought in those clothes. This was probably a terrible idea but….

"That isn't the point," Ryuji said.

He chuckled.

"Maybe, the next palace, you can get me an outfit, Skull."

"Hell, yes!"

"That would be a wonderful idea," Yusuke added.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Ann said.

"Probably not. I can imagine that you will enjoy yourselves picking it out. Besides, Skull is right. I do stick out…just a little bit," He said.

Ren chuckled and shook his head.

"Okay…lets head to pyramid. Maybe, the doors have opened," Ren said.

The group nodded and started heading toward the pyramid. Once the group was inside, Ren, Makoto, Yusuke, and Morgana went across the pit of lava to check if the door was opened.

Few minutes later, they returned to their spot by the entrance.

"Still not open. We will probably have to find another way," Morgana added.

"There is probably another way to get in. Maybe, another entrance or keys," Ren said.

"Agreed," Makoto said.

"We will have to investigate to every suspicious place we see, both inside the pyramid and out," Yusuke said.

"Urgh…outside. You mean…we have to deal with the heat," Ryuji said.

"No complaining. Let's begin our investigation right way," Makoto said.

He forced to hide a grin at Ryuji grumbling as the group head toward the exit.

"Are you leaving? Come back here. Let's talk for a moment," A female voice said behind him.

The group turned back around to see…who he was guessing Futaba.

Interesting outfit.

"Welcome back. I had thought I would never see you again," Shadow Futaba said.

"We're only here 'cause we gotta to be. I can't believe you tried to drop a boulder on us! You want us to steal your goddman treasure or what?!" Ryuji said.

"Skull. It is wise not to provoke a shadow especially if she can drop another boulder on you," He said gently.

Ryuji jerked and looked toward him.

"Sorry, Sensei."

The shadow looked at him.

"You are different from the rest," She said.

"Merely, a teacher watching his students," He said with a grin.

The shadow stared at him as if she was trying to figure him out.

"Hm, why don't we make a deal? You wish to proceed further, yes?" Futaba said.

"A deal, you say?" Yusuke said.

"There is a town nearby. I would like you to take back that which the bandit there stole from me," Futaba said.

"Oh, yeah. I remember seeing a town on the way here," Ann said.

"If you bring back what was stolen back to me, I will give you a reward. I'll even tell you how to proceed." Fubaba said.

"SENSEI! You came back!" Lilim said with a shout.

He turned around to see the duo running toward them.

"Hee HOO!"

"Of course, I did. I promise," He said.

He smiled as Black Frost stopped and offered his arms. He picked him up and Black Frost wrapped his arms around his neck.

"You two have fun with your friends?" He asked.

"Lots…Oooo…Hey, Panther!…who is the new girl?" Lilim said as she floated over to Futaba.

"Uhh…" Futaba stepped back.

"This is Futaba-chan, Lilim," Ann said.

Lilim moved closer to Futaba.

"Hey, new girl…."

"Lilim…you might want to step back. Futaba is…"

"I know…she is the ruler here. Anubis told me but…" Lilim said as she gently put her hand on Futaba's chest.

Futaba ducked behind Joker. Lilim tilted her head and frowned. Suddenly, she nodded her head.

"Don't worry. They will make you feel better, okay? They are awesome like that," Lilim said as.

"ooo…Ok," Futaba said.

His students expect Ann had this awe expression on their faces. Ann just beamed at Lilim.

He grinned softly. Beside himself, Ann was closet to Lilim. She knew Lilim like to mother hen people.

Lilm grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the outside.

"Come on, Sensei. I want to you to meet Anubis and Nue," Lilim said.

"One moment," He said.

He tilted his head to look at the others. Ren nodded his head.

"We can go after the bandit and you can stay here with them," Ren said.

"There is a possibility that they may know another entrance. So, I think that it is worth looking around with them," He said.

"Good idea, Sensei. Should one of us stay here with you?" Makoto said.

"I am fine. I have these two to keep me out of trouble," He said as he pointed to Black Frost and Lilim.

"We promised that we will keep Sensei out of trouble," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!" Black Frost added.

"I'm courting on it," Ren chuckled softly.

"Should we take bets?" Ryuji said.

"On what…?" Makoto said.

"How many shadows he comes back with?"

He chuckled.

"Go. I am going to say none. Just because I am not looking for shadows."

"Uh huh. I say 5," Ryuji added.

"Oo…I want in. My guess is 2," Ann added.

"I would add that it will be 3," Yusuke said.

He shook his head as he followed the group outside. He watched the group walked toward the town in the distance. He watched as they disappeared into Mona and drove off.

"Now, can we go?" Lilim asked.

He smiled.

"In a moment. Just need to see something. Stay here," He said as he set Black Frost down for a moment. He walked down the stairs toward the Velvet Room where Caroline…yes, that was it. He heard Ren call her that name before.

He debated about what to do about the twins. Theo told him that he had no twin sisters. They were definitely Ren's attendants even if their behavior isn't very…attendant-like.

Margaret would have words for them.

He stopped right beside Caroline. She eyed him.

"Hmph. Weakling. Honestly…I am not sure why the prisoner allows him to come…." Caroline said.

"From my experience, it would be wise to be careful what you say out in public. People can hear you," He said.

Caroline grasped.

"How…How…Who are you?"

"My name is Yu Narukami. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. At least, one of you…you are Caroline, correct?

"I am impressed. Yes, that is my name."

"Two things, I would like to speak to your Master…at his earliest convenience, of course," He said as he looked toward the desert and not at her.

"Wh…Wha…Why do you want to speak with my Master about?" Caroline said as the words stumble out of her mouth.

"It is a matter between me and him. Honestly, it is merely catching up with an old friend."

"Tell me!" Caroline shouted. He heard stomped her foot on the ground.

Definitely not attendant like behavior.

"Again, a matter between me and him. I am sure if the matter that we discuss is important. He will be happy to share the information. Another thing that it is equally important matter that I am directing at you and your sister."

"What is it?"

"If you harm Ren again in my presence, we will have words."

He seen his student to kicked and punched by the twins like that made his blood boil. He almost broke away at one point to stop them but they disappeared into the Velvet Room. He was almost glad. Second, the scene would cause confusion and questions.

He wasn't quite ready for that and the questions to come along with that situation.

Instead, he waited for the right moment to have a chat with the twins. This place was as good as any.

"How dare you?! We are his wardens and he is our prisoner! We can treat him as we see fit."

"I dare…because he is my student. As his teacher, I care for his safety and well-being. If your actions serve some purpose, I would have allowed it. I found your actions to have the opposite effect. To honest, downright harmful."

There was a moment of silence.

"How da…." Caroline shouted.

"Sister…please." Justine said.

He glanced over to see her sister had come out of the Velvet Room. She eyed him in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Justine said softly.

"Next time, he visited, watch him. Not for his words but his actions then look at your own. You will find your answer there."

"And if we don't….change?"

"Then ask Morgana what I can do without a persona," He said as he walked away from the door and toward Lilim and Black Frost.

"Hey, Sensei! Who were you talking to?" Lilim asked.

"Oh, to myself. Just trying sort my thoughts. Lead the way," He said.

Black Frost grabbed his hand and he started to follow the duo. Lilim approached a door beside the pyramid.

"You know that this would have helped the others."

"We only go this way when the other way is locked. Sometimes, we can't go this way either. It locked from the other side," Lilim explained.

"Awww…so who opens this end?"

"Oh…sometimes, Anubis….or Mot but he is a big meanie!"

"Oh?"

"Uh huh….and creepy," Lilim added.

 _Did she just call me creepy?_

 _Yes…yes, she did._

"Hee Ho…" Black Frost said

"Don't worry. We are here," He said as he patted Black Frost's head.

Lilim knocked on the door. After a few moments of nothing, Lilim knocked again. On the third knock, the door opened.

"YAY! Come on, Sensei!" Lilim said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

He stepped down into the underground entrance to an impressive maze of caverns and ramps. This was nothing like he has seen before.

These palaces were a sight to behold.

"Thanks, Naga!" Lilim said with a wave. The serpent shadow stared at them before moving back down the ramp.

"Don't worry. He is just shy," Lilim said.

He smiled as he followed Lilim down the ramp and down toward one of the rooms.

"NUE! ANIBUS!" Lilim shouted.

Her voice echoed off the walls. She hmphed and put her hands on her hips.

"Where are they?"

"Maybe, they are somewhere else. This place is quite big."

"True…but Nue is always waited here on us."

"Maybe, he got busy."

"Maybe…or that terrible Mot did something!"

 _I am not that bad! Honestly, this Mot is giving me a bad name._

… _Doesn't take much._

 _HEY!_

He shook his head and chuckled.

"We won't know until we look around," He said.

"You are right, Sensei. Come on," Lilim said.

The trio walked down hallways to a room with a metal fence with tombs. He saw a guard guarding the tombs.

"MOT!" Lilim shouted.

That…was probably not a good idea.

The guard turned toward them.

"Foolish grave robbers! You have enraged the guardian of this place!" The guard said.

"We aren't grave robbers, you idiot!"

"Hee HOO!"

"And we haven't really enraged anyone either," He said.

"Hence, there shall be no path forward you. It is time. You perish!" the guard shouted before bursting into Mot.

He drew his sword and sighed. A little bit overdramatic.

"Be careful, Sensei. He likes to turned people into rats. He is an asshole," Lilim said.

 _That is kind of cool. I wonder if I could do that._

 _MOT! You…_

Iris, please. Mot, what is your weakness?

 _Wind….most likely._

He knew Lilim nor Black Frost had any wind attacks. Mot also didn't move around much which worked to their advantage.

"Lilim…I want you to slow him down. Then drain him of his magic. Less chance of him turning us into rats. Black Frost…use Miracle punch on him. When we knock him over, all of us will attack," He said.

"Gotcha," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!" Black Frost shouted.

"Alright, Lilim. Go!" He shouted.

Directing his shadow friends was kind of like directing his friends when they fought in the tv world.

It gave him a sense of familiar on how well they worked as a team. Lilim casted Masukanda to slow him down and then started draining his SP. Mot struggled to keep up with them as his attacks missed. He hit Mot with a few attacks while Black Frost casted Miracle Punch. It missed a few times until finally, it gave them the hit that they wanted.

Mot landed on his back.

"Okay…everyone attack!" He ordered.

Lilim started kicking Mot, he started slashing his sword against his coffin…and Black Frost…

 _CRUNCH_

Bit into Mot's arm.

He felt Mot pouting in his head.

 _Did he really have to do that?_

 _Yes, he did. It was marvelous._

 _HEY!_

The other personas started to laugh.

"AHHHH! Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" Mot said as he waved his arm around.

While Mot struggled to get Black Frost off of his arm, he pushed Mot down on the ground. He opened the coffin and stabbed him with his blade.

Mot screamed as he disappeared into smoke.

"We did it, Sensei!" Lilim said as she clapped.

"Yes, we did. Good job," He said with a warm smile. He gave Lilim and Black Frost high fives before putting his sword from the ground and putting it away.

"Oo…look! Money! Can we get snacks, Sensei?" Lilim said as she picked the yen from the ground.

"Hee Hoo!"

"Yes, I will bring them next time."

"YAY!"

"Hee Hoo! Hee Hoo!" Black Frost said as he waved behind him. He turned around to see the thieves staring at them.

"Oh, hello, everyone. Did you catch the bandit?" He asked.

There was a long moment of silence with the thieves just staring at them. He wondered if something happened.

"Our Sensei is a totally badass," Ryuji said in awe.

End of The Twins

Next Chapter: The Compare, The Contrast and The Everything In Between

A/N: Aww…yes, the twins. You guys thought Yu was going to ignore them like Yabby said. Ha. No, he put them on note and it will come ahead later in the story. HAHA! I forgot about the courage thing with the fridge! Probably because I didn't do it during any of my plays. I refuse to let Yu eat things out the fridge. Stats be damn. I can't wait for Futaba and Yu to interact more either. You have two of most honest people in our fandom working together. One-liners alone will be wonderful. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews, favorites, kudos, etc. Read and review if you wish.


	35. The Compare and Contrast

Catch 22: The Compare, The Contrast and The Everything In Between

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Negotiations? Stealing items from shadows and palaces? All of these experiences are new to Yu but… between…he does see a common thread.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Thanks to AKatsinTcups for beta reading this chapter! :D

"Oh, hello, everyone. Did you catch the bandit?" Yu asked as he turned around.

There was a long moment of silence with the thieves just staring at them. He wondered if something happened.

"Our Sensei is a totally badass," Ryuji said in awe.

"Hey! We helped too!" Lilim said with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, you did. You two did a great job," He said with a smile.

Lilim beamed at him. Black Frost grabbed Yu's hand and he patted his head.

"Anyway. We caught the bandit but we were dropped down here as soon as we returned to her with the item. My theory is that she's afraid to have anyone close to her that is why she dropped us down here," Makoto said as she turned to him.

"It is a good theory," he said.

"How did you get down here, Sensei?" Ann asked.

"Lilim had one of the shadows open the door for us."

"You could have done that for us," Yusuke said.

"I didn't know if it was going to work and besides, the Pharaoh said that you had to go after the bandit. Not us," Lilim said.

"Okay, you two…save your energy for the palace," Ren said.

"Take it easy. We don't want to burn ourselves out either," Makoto added.

Ren nodded then the group climbed the wall using the coffins as hand holds. Once, the group was up the wall, Ren went over to one of the vases and broke it. He picked up an item and put into their bag then he moved onto the door.

"So, your shadows don't drop the items that you need?" He asked as the door opened.

"No…I mean sometimes but not as often as you would think. Where did you get your items from?" Ren said.

"The shadows dropped them. We have a bag like yours. It could get pretty heavy sometimes."

"Tell me about it. We take turns holding it," Ryuji said.

"Where did you sell your items?" Makoto asked as they used some broken pieces of wood to cross over to the other side.

"At our local metalwork shop. He made our weapons for us. I still can't believe that you use prop weapons," He said in disbelief.

He was almost envious of them. No matter how well-made Kanji made the jacket, it wasn't very comfortable carrying around a long sword.

One of the first things that he did when he became president was to buy the metalwork shop in town. He knew that the shop was struggling in recent years and it was an hour by train just to the next major city, which he wasn't even quite sure if it had a weapon shop. He couldn't leave the tv world unprotected.

They made the mistake once when the tournament happened.

He refused to let them happen again.

The only rule that he put into place was that the owner had to train someone to take over. Last time that he checked in, the owner informed him that they have two students. Needs to see which one sticks around.

"I still can't believe that you use real ones. How did you sneak them in?" Ryuji asked.

"Practice and Kanji. Once he joined us, he was able to make compartments for us in our bags and outfits. It worked out rather well."

"Wow…."

"Do you think that he would do something like that for us?" Ren asked.

"Of course. Just tell me what you looking for. I will send them along to Kanji. He always likes a challenge," he said.

"Thanks, Sensei," Ren said.

"What's this? Some kinda giant bow and arrow," Ryuji said.

"Oh, that's a…." Makoto said.

He missed last half of the conversation because he was eying Black Frost. He let go of Yu's hand and started approaching the ballista.

"Black Frost. Don't touch," He said.

Black Frost turned to him with a "Hee Hoo?"

"Yes, it is dangerous."

"Hee Hoo?"

"That too."

"Hee Hoo?"

"Yes, you're right. Very good."

Black Frost clapped his hands then came back to Yu's side and grabbed his hand again. Once the others judged that the ballista wasn't in operation or going to harm them, they moved back across the bridge.

"You know…I am also wondering how you understand Black Frost," Ann inquired.

"That can wait. We have another shadow up ahead," Makoto warned as they pressed against the wall.

The group nodded. Ren motioned Morgana, Queen, and Yusuke to follow him and then jumped up the high wall and attacked the shadow.

Lilim approached Ann as they waited.

Before Yu could get back to Ann's question Lilim spoke first to Ann, "I have a question, then Sensei can answer yours, but…where do you go?"

She clarified when Ann looked confused, "When you leave here I mean?"

He smiled softly. The question reminded him so much of Teddie.

"Back home?" Ann answered.

"What is home?"

"Well…home is busy. I have a house….but I have school and my friends. There are cars…people…"

"There are more of you?! Like there are more of shadows?"

"Kind of like that…" Ann said with a chuckle as she scratched her cheek.

"And Cars…like Mona?"

Ryuji covered his mouth trying not to laugh.

"No…animals don't turn into cars."

"Oh…" Lilim said looking disappointed.

Ann looked at him frantic then at Lilim.

"But it has snacks. LOTs of them!" Ann said.

…That probably wasn't a good idea.

"REALLY!?"

"Uh huh. Different types and everything…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Ren asked as he and the others returned. Yu noticed that Morgana and Makoto were gone. He tilted his head slightly at Ren who waved his hand toward a door and he nodded in understanding.

"Snacks! You lied to me! You said that your world only had a few snacks! You just didn't want to share!" Lilim said as she pointed her finger at Yusuke.

"Because you would eat them all!" Yusuke said.

"Unlike you, I know how to share!"

"Calm down, you two. We have a long way to go and I don't want you two to get tired in the middle," He said.

Lilim and Yusuke deflated and spoke in tandem

"Sorry."

Yu smiled softly then he heard a loud crash making everyone jump in surprise.

"What the hell?!" Ryuji yelped.

He turned around to see a huge arrow hit the wall allowing a beam of light flood the room hitting the door causing it to open.

That was a little exciting.

"I knew that was a trap!" Ryuji shouted.

"No, that was the trigger to open the door," Makoto said as she and Morgana returned to the group. 

"Yup. Now, if it headed toward someone…" Morgana said as he looked at Ryuji.

"Listen, cat!" Ryuji growled leering at Morgana..

He sighed. He needed to head this off before….

"Stop it! You two are making us look bad in front of Sensei! Geeze…" Ann said as she stomped her foot on the ground.

Morgana looked ashamed. Ryuji tsked and turned away from the group.

"Let make our way to the door and see what happened," Ren said as he ran his hand through his hair.

The group nodded and made its way back across the bridge, Morgana was slightly ahead of them.

"I tried talking to Mona, Sensei. He won't talk to me but I can tell that he is ashamed of his actions. He gets a little huffy when I ask but I can tell by his body language that he regretted what he said. I am hoping that his behavior doesn't affect the rest of the group and cause trouble with us changing Futaba's heart," Ren said beside him.

"That is good to know. If Skull and Mona get out of hand too much, I will make them run laps….outside of the pyramid. That should stop the fighting rather quickly," He said.

"That would," Ren said with a chuckle.

"Whoa! We have a way to the stairs now!" Ann shouted as the group stopped at the opening of the door.

"Excellent, we should push on," Makoto said pleased with their progress.

The group pushed forward until they reached a tablet.

"The light shed by the god of the underworld shall become the sign for those who transverse the pits," Makoto said as she read the tablet.

Lilim sighed, "You are going to have to forgive him. Anubis is a drama queen. He gets mad if you point it out that it is stupid with all of the glowing rocks and stuff."

"Rocks?" Yusuke asked in curiosity.

"You'll see. There should be one around the corner."

"Wait here…we will be right back," Ren said as he, Makoto, Yusuke and Morgana moved around the corner liked Lilim said.

"Now, I go a question for you, Lilim…What does it look like when we leave?" Ann asked.

"You slimmer…like glitter then poof!"

"Glitter…? Man, what did you give her? Hell, what have you been teaching her?" Ryuji said.

"She wanted to try some of my makeup. It was fun," Ann said with a grin.

Black Frost gave Ann a look. He pointed at her and started waving his finger at her.

"Hee Hoo!"

Oh….heh.

"I don't think that Lilim meant to put it on you, Black Frost. She was just doing what Panther taught her," He said.

"Oh…I am sorry, Black Frost. Lilim won't do it again, okay?" Ann said as she kneeled down and pat his head.

"I won't because Slime is much better makeup buddy," Lilim said with a grin.

He heard Ryuji cracking beside him.

"Anyway, we get sad when you leave but you always come back. You guys will always come back, right? Sometimes I worry when you don't have me around to patch you up, that silly cat forgets to," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!"

He smiled softly.

"We will always come back because you are the best nurse," He said.

"And assistant!"

"You going to have fight Theo for that role," Ryuji said.

"Sensei already has an assistant?" Lilim said sadly.

Ann hit Ryuji's arm.

"OUCH!"

"I do but you can be my secretary. You always keep everyone in line and everything in order," said.

Lilim looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You know…I like the sound of that. From now on, I am Sensei's secretary!"

Everyone felt the room shake. He glanced over at the other door as it opened.

"Alright, Joker! Finally, the main stairs!" Ryuji cheered.

"Do I get a clipboard, Sensei? I need to write things," Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!"

"That is right! You can be my assistant!"

"….So, do we ask?" Ren said in curiosity as the others return to the group.

"I am going to be Sensei's secretary and Black Frost is my assistant!" Lilim said as she clapped.

"Uhh…"

"And I get a clipboard too. So, does Black Frost."

"Hee Hoo!"

"That is right! We need those pencils with those fuzzy tops too!"

Ren looked at him and he smiled.

"Next time, I will bring you and Black Frost clipboards and those fuzzy pencils," said.

"YAY!"

"Hee Hoo!"

"You guys have the most interesting conversations while we are busy," Ren said.

"I know, right!?" Ann said eagerly.

"Let's move on before he decides to make one a janitor or something," Morgana mumbled.

YuHe tilted his head slightly and Morgana's eyes widen.

"Come on! Come on!" Morgana said as he rushed ahead.

Lilim gave Morgana a look as he passed them.

"The cat has something up in his ass. I am going to write him up when I get my clipboard," Lilim said.

He sighed softly.

"Or hit him with my clipboard…"

"Let's go before Mona gets too far ahead," Ren broke the tension leading the way after Mona..

The group followed Mona to the main stairs then started the long journey up, stopping at a room by the stairs.

"This is a safe room! You two aren't allow inside," Mona asserted towards their shadow companions.

"Why not?!" Lilim protested angrily with her hands on her hips

"Because you two are shadows and you might mess up the room!"

"Hee HO!"

"That is right!"

"Don't worry. I will stay with you two while the others rest," He said.

"You need to rest too, Sensei," Makoto insisted.

"I'm fine. Besides, we didn't have safe rooms when we explored the tv world."

"What did you have?"

"A fox."

"Were you guys…high?" Ryuji added.

"No but his services came at a cost. A very high cost that required a lot of yen. He is a protector of Inaba's shine. I completed tasks for him and in turn, he helped in the tv world. Next time I go home I should check up on him."

"…."

"…."

The group stared at him in stunned silence. His friends had the same reaction. It was kind of funny.

"Uhh…a fox?" Ann said.

"A fox."

"That is remarkable. A real fox…. Just imagine…." Yusuke said in awe.

"I know, right!? That is so cool. Can I pet Mr. Fox when he comes to visit?" Lilim added.

"You can ask," He said smilingly at Lilim.

"I am going to go inside to mark it on our map," Ren said as he went inside really quickly. A few moments later, he stepped back out.

"You sure that you don't need to rest? Don't push yourself. We can always come back tomorrow," He said.

His students shook their heads no and mumbled that they wanted to go forward.

Aww…he remembered when he did the same thing.

"Okay. If you say so. Let's move on," He said.

The group opened a new door and then started traveling down another corridor. A little ways down Mona spotted a mummy, Ren held out his hand stopping the group before he attacked it from behind. The mummy exploded into an Isi and two Nagas

 _Hmph. I look better._

Of course.

Ren ordered Mona to use garu and knocked it out. He watched as Mona performed a baton pass with Ren so he could use some type of psychic attack on Isis and knock her down as well.

 _I am not weak to that. She is a weakling! I am stronger._

The group looked like that they were going to perform all out attack but Ren stopped them.

"Lend me your power," Ren said.

"Well…we must talk about things over first. I know nothing about you, after all…" Isis said.

 _And I don't sound like that either._

"It's frustrating when others bother me when I have things to do," Isis said.

 _Yes, you do._

 _MOT!_

 _Oh, sweetie. You kind of sound like that._

 _Leanan Sidhe!_

"Won't you just leave me be?" Isis said.

Pyro Jack giggled.

"I just couldn't," Ren replied.

"Well, I'll at least accept your consideration, I suppose? No matter the crime, humans treat it more lightly if the perpetrator is a minor, do they not? Ah, so I suppose you commit such extreme acts because you know you won't be punished harshly…"

… _.That is very random._

It may have to do with the thoughts of the owner of the palace. It may filter down to the shadows.

 _Still…she sounds ridiculous_

 _Shh….I want to hear._

"Age doesn't matter," Ren answered.

"I see. Whether you're a minor or not has no bearing on your actions, then."

"Speaking with you shows me how similar we really a-Oh! I'm sorry, I remember now…In truth, I am not a Shadow. I originated from the humans' sea of souls…My true name is Isis. From here on forth…I am thou," Isis said before she turned into a mask.

Quickly, the mask approached Ren and absorb into his.

"Well done, Joker. You got another mask," Morgana said. He watched as the other shadows disappeared into the ground.

Hmmm…interesting.

"Impressive. So, that is how you got your other masks."

"You never saw me negotiate before, Sensei?" Ren asked.

"Correct. Now that I have seen it, I can plan our next lesson," He said with a grin.

"I look forward to it."

 _Hmmm…so that is how it is done._

He tilted his head at the unknown persona.

…..?...

The unknown persona didn't answer back.

What was that about?

End of The Compare, The Contrast and The Everything In Between

Next Chapter: The Turnabout of Fair Play

A/N: Aww…yes, just a fun little chapter about everything. I have nothing really to say. I am working on the calling card chapter right now…and damn…it is long. D: Our little mystery friend will start showing up more and more now. I have plans.

Future Chapters: The Turnabout of Fair Play

The Moments of Clarity

The Calling Card

The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing (Break In Play)

The Secret Base


	36. The Turnabout of Fair Play

Catch-22: The Turnabout of Fair Play

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu does his own negotiation with interesting results.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

This chapter was betaed by lovely AKatsinTcups

Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.-Carrie Fisher

The group saw Shadow Futaba in the distance.

"Come. Follow me," Shadow Futaba said as she disappeared into another hallway.

"Damn it….Can she stop with that?" Ryuji said to the ground.

"I don't think that she can," Makoto added.

"We have another problem. The other direction leads to another possible way to open the next door," Morgana said as he waved his paws down the two hallways that branched off in different directions.

"A suggestion, perhaps? We break into two teams. One will handle the doors and the other see what Futaba wants. I will send Lilim along incase it's another trap. It will also a good opportunity for me to train Skull and Partner for a bit. Work on improving their skills," Yu said to the group.

"Might be a good idea. We can cover more ground this way," Ren said looking at the others.

"Alright! We can show Sensei how much we improved!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"Right!" Ann said as she gave them the thumbs up.

"I don't know…." Morgana said uncertainly.

"Silly cat. They will be fine," Lilim said as she puts her hands on her hips.

"I AM NOT A CAT!"

"Yes, you are. Stupid cat! STUPID! STUPID!"

"I am not stupid!"

Another reason was this. The others were getting antsy. It wasn't good for the group.

"Calm down," He said stepping between Morgana and Lilim.

Morgana and Lilim paused and looked at him.

"Sorry, Sensei."

"Yeah…sorry," Morgana said as he looked down at the floor.

He kneeled down to Morgana's level.

"Thank you for your concern, Mona, but it will be fine," He said as he put his hand on Mona's shoulder.

Mona avoided Yu's gaze then bolted down the hallway.

"What is his damn problem?" Ryuji asked him.

"I fear my presence is making it worse…," He said with a sigh.

"No. Mona has been acting like this for weeks. I wish that he would talk to someone even if it isn't us," Ren said.

"Hopefully, we can resolve this issue after the palace. If not…" Makoto added.

"I could ask some of my friends to talk to him. Maybe, a persona user outside of the group will help," He said.

"That is an idea," Ren said.

"It is better if we talk about this later before Mona gets too far ahead of us," Makoto said.

He nodded as Makoto and the others went after Mona. He turned his attention to Ryuji, Ann, and his shadow friends.

"Ready?" He said.

"Ready, Sensei!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"Alright!" Lilim said as she followed his group.

"Let's go!" Ann said with a grin.

"Hee hoo!"

The group went down the other pathway to see two shadows circling around the room. They pressed themselves against the wall.

"Joker usually take off their masks," Ann said softly.

"I'll do it," He said as he drew his sword from his sheath.

"Are you sure, Sensei? I mean…I can do it," Ryuji timidly injected with.

He and Ann looked at each other.

"Hee Hoo?" Black Frost in confusion.

Black Frost was probably right. Ryuji wasn't subdued at all.

"I'll do it. Besides, it is practice for me," Yu said as he sneaked behind the shadow. He slashed the shadow's back making it fall to its knees. He grabbed the mask from behind and ripped it off, the shadow busted apart into an Isis and Naga.

"Okay…Black Frost and I will handle the Naga. You two show me what you can do with Isis," He said.

"But we don't have any Psy element attacks…"

"What do you have?"

"I have fire attacks…and I know a heal spell but…" Ann said.

"I have some attacks and lightening attacks. I am not going to lie, Sensei…. I don't mind when Joker gives the orders."

"Ahh but Joker isn't here. What do you do?"

Ann and Ryuji looked at each other.

"Uhh…Find their weakness and do an all-out attack?" Ryuji questioned more than answered.

"If that doesn't work, what else do you do?"

"Attack it until it goes down?" Ann tried fidgeting a little.

"And?"

He almost laughed when Ann and Ryuji looked at each other again and a metaphorical lightbulb go off above their heads.

"OH! I can use some fire attacks and Skull can melee it!" Ann exclaimed, lighting up at figuring out a plan..

"That's a good idea! Let's do it!" Ryuji said leaping into action.

Yu turned to Black Frost.

"Ready?"

"HEE HO!"

It didn't take them long to finish off the Naga. One ice attack and a cut of his blade for the Naga to go down. He told Black Frost to stay with Lilim as Yu watched Ryuji and Ann.

"Go, Carmen!" Ann called out as she used a fire attack on Isis. The shadow screamed as it fell to the ground.

"Alrigh' Cap, Swift Strike!" Ryuji said.

With their combined attacks, Isis disappeared into smoke.

"Good job."

Ryuji and Ann high five each other.

"We did awesome!"

"You two worked well together. I have definitely seen improvements. Perhaps I should add some more elements to test you two."

"Ahh…man. I was just getting the hang of it," Ryuji said with a sigh.

He chuckled softly.

"Shall we move on?" He said.

The next shadow attack proceeded much the same. He finished off one of the shadows and watched as Ann and Ryuji took on the other two shadows. It took them moment to get their footing, Ryuji almost getting hit with an attack. He was able to dodge it and regain his footing, taking out the shadow with his counterattack.

Ann's focus was much better. He saw it slip when Agilio missed, but he was really happy with how far both of them had come.

Once they defeat the shadows, Ann and Ryuji seemed to be a little down.

"Man…I almost got nailed." Ryuji said as he kicked the ground.

"I lost my focus," Ann added in with a sigh.

"Very true, but you did defeat the shadows and no one got hurt. You also realized your mistakes and worked to correct yourselves. So be proud of yourselves, I am," Yu said smiling at his students.

Ann flushed and Ryuji scratched the back of his head.

"Anyway…let's move on," Yu said as he cautiously checked ahead for more shadows.

After turning down another corridor, they found another shadow.

"Hey, Panther, I have an idea. Lemme hold your whip," Ryuji asked, holding his hand out to Ann and making a grabbing motion.

"What are you going to do?!" Ann cried out, protectively placing a hand on her whip.

"I was going to tie them up."

"That would never work! They wouldn't stay still!"

"Unless we surprised them from behind!"

He rose his hand when he saw Lilim about to interfere

He wanted them to figure it out for themselves.

"That's stupid! They could turn around and attack us!"

"Not if we clothesline them first!"

"With what?"

"With your whip of course!"

"Hmm…Hey, Black Frost? Can you freeze the floor for us? Just where the shadow is, okay?" Ann asked him after taking a second to calm herself.

Black Frost nodded and gave Ryuji and Ann a thumbs up.

"Hee Hoo…"

Black Frost put his hand on the floor forming ice under the shadow. Ann tossed Ryuji one end of her whip nodded to each other when the shadow turns around. They rushed toward the poor shadow clotheslining it hard, causing Yu and Lilim to wince. The shadow hit the ground and disappeared into smoke.

Ouch…

Black Frost cheered then he went over and gave Ann and Ryuji high fives.

"Good thinking both of you," Yu said with a smile.

"ANUBIS!" Lilim shouted behind them.

He turned around to see the floating shadow approach them.

"One has been watching," Anubis said.

"Man…we are totally out of our league," Ryuji said behind him.

"Maybe, we should run," Ann suggested.

He rose his hand slightly. The others paused in place and Black Frost grabbed to his other hand.

"Thou are curious why a bearer of scales would be so watchful."

"You speak some of the old tongue? Interesting. Thou isn't like the peterman. He speaks only in the new tongue. In sooth, my queen is curious of one actions."

"Interesting. One believes that thy queen is aware of our actions thus she led us here. Methinks that thou knave nay my student."

"How thou dare speak!" Anubis said with groan.

"….Sensei…" Lilim said nervously.

"Howbeit…thou doesn't deny this truth. One is disappointed in the bearer of the scales for trying to carry out such falsehood"

"Falsehood?"

"Sensei…he likes his scales. All about truth and being light as a feather sort of stuff. He is so gloomy. SINS! FEATHERS! SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN! He is probably trying to judge you for one reason or another. He does that to everyone," Lilim whispered into Yu's ear.

"Probably to separate me from the others. Thanks, Lilim," He said making her beam.

"Shut up, you quean!" Anubis said angrily at Lilim.

"Make me!" Lilim said with her hands on her hips.

"Thou are avoiding the truth. One believes that one should be judged for such falsehood," He said.

Anubis stared at him.

"Contest of wits?"

"Nay, contest of truth."

"What is thou boon?"

"Thou boon shall be thou soldiers leave this floor and thou students allowed to move forward to the next area."

"Thou cannot control the next area in my queen's domain."

"One understands that limits of thou boon. One worries about the safety of my students. Thou boon would allow them some rest in their journey though thou queen's domain. Thou boon?"

"Thou will come with thee to see the queen."

Bingo.

"Aye. Thou boon is reasonable. One accepted one contest."

"Thou boon is also reasonable. One accepted thou contest."

Anubis floated down to his level. He placed a feather on one end of the scale.

"Thou put something of value on the other end."

He put away his sword and removed a necklace from around his neck. He dropped the necklace on the scale.

"A key?" Anubis said in confusion.

"A key," He said with a nod.

He watched as the scale with the feather dropped and the scale with key go up. It wasn't very high up but it was enough.

"Hmm….," Anubis said.

"Yes?"

"Thou has passed. Thou can remove thou key. Now it is one turn…"

He took his key off the scale and put it back around his neck.

Anubis put a glowing rock on the scale. He watched as the scale with the glowing rock dipped down and the feather goes up.

"Thou falsehood troubles thy."

Anubis sighed.

"Thou won. Thou speak the truth."

"One tries but one is human. One has his own trappings. One finds if thou accept those traps….thou can see the truth"

"Aye. Ye understands. Thou students are lucky to have such a mage as their teacher. Thou boon will be done. It is one honor to meet such a mage," Anubis said with a bow.

"Same," He said with a bow.

Anubis returned to his sitting position and snapped his fingers. In flash of light, he was gone.

"Well…that's done. Shall we move on?" Yu said as he turned to the others.

The group had this dazed expression. In his head, he heard a slight chuckle and a clap.

 _Well done, lad._

"Holy shit…" Ryuji said.

"That was amazing!" Lilim said as she clapped.

"HEE HO!" Black Frost said as he clapped along with Lilim.

"Wow…I can't wait to tell the others. How did you learn to talk like that?" Ann said.

"Shadows, mostly. Some like the archaic language. I picked up a few things," He said.

 _Thou remembered?_

One does.

Izanagi talked a lot like that in the beginning. The longer they had been together, the more the archaic language faded out of Izanagi's speech.

Unless Izanagi was mad, then it came back in full force.

Ann stared at him with awe.

"Wow…"

He chuckled.

"We need to move or the others will be beat us to the next stop."

"We can't have that…let's go!" Ann said as she pointed the way.

He listened as the others talked animatedly amongst themselves as they made it to next major door. It seemed a weight was lifted from their shoulders. It made him happy.

They didn't see Shadow Futaba anywhere when they arrived.

About ten minutes later, the others came. They looked slightly confused.

"The shadows are all gone…." Makoto starting saying in confusion, but Ryuji cut into the conversation.

"Hey guys!", He ran up to Ren excitedly, "DUDE! We clotheslined a shadow! IT WAS AWESOME!"

"It was! We used my whip and Black Frost helped out. it was awesome. He iced the floor for us and BANG!" Ann said happily.

"We totally need to use that in our next battle."

"I know, right!"

"Sensei was awesome. He made our drama queen eat his words. He made the shadows go poof!" Lilim added in.

"He made the shadows leave?" Makoto questioned in awe.

"Yes, you should have seen Anubis's face! He was so disappointed that he lost!" Ann said.

"Wait…what did Sensei do?" Ren asked.

"He talked to Anubis. There was a lot of thous and ones…and some words that I have no fucking clue. But it was totally awesome!" Ryuji explained in excitement.

"You did a negotiation?" Ren said in amazement.

"I guess? Not really. Mostly, it was a type of contest." He said with a hum.

The others stared at him.

What is with the staring? Did he have something on his shirt?

"Unbelievable," Morgana said in awe.

"I like to go with Sensei next," Yusuke said as he rose his hand.

"Only if Joker doesn't mind you switching out," He said with a chuckle.

"Of course." Ren nodded motioning towards Ryuji to take Yusuke's place

"I think that we should move forward. From what we gathered from Anubis, there is more to the palace."

The others nodded and went through the door. There was a light and scrambled picture on the wall.

"Is this some kind of picture?" Ann asked as she studying the wall.

"Odd. The design seems to be scrambled somehow," Yusuke said in curiosity.

"Maybe it's kinda like a puzzle? Joker, can you change the picture?"

He watched as Ren unscrambled the picture.

"Ohh! It's together!" Ryuji said.

"What's this a picture of?" Ann said as she examined it.

"This adult seems to reading to a crying child? Hm, the emotions of the artist are often depicted in the art they produce…I can sense…serious pain harbored in her heart" Yusuke said.

"I should never have had Futaba…" An unknown voice rang out.

"…Is that voice coming from the mural?" Makoto said.

"…She was always such a bother…"

"It seems you caused your mother a great deal of trouble, Futaba-chan. She must have some kind of maternity neurosis," Another voice said.

Suddenly the reflector on the pedestal rotated and caused the light to be redirected at the mural. The wall with the mural vanished revealing a long hallway that ended with another door being unlocked from the light hitting it.

"What was that?" Ann said.

"Likely a suicide note," Yu said.

"Could that be what Futaba remembers of her mother's suicide?" Yusuke said.

"It is a possibility," Makoto said.

Yu leaned against the wall staring at the empty space. He heard Ryuji saying how sick that was to tell a child.

He agreed and it broke his heart. But something was bothering him about this whole thing.

"Sensei. Are you okay?" Ann said as she snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine. Just thinking. Are we ready to move forward?"

The group nodded and jumped down the ledges to the main floor then up the stairs to the next door.

"Yes! We are getting closer to the treasure!" Morgana said.

"And we found a safe room," Ren pointed out stepping to the door.

Thankfully, there was less arguing this time as the group moved in and out to mark it on their map. Ren opened the next door and went down another hallway. Soon, they made it to a series of ledges that lead down into yet another hallway.

Finally, in the hallway after that, he saw Shadow Futaba standing in the middle of it.

"You're late. What took you so long?" Futaba asked before walking down the hallway without waiting for an answer.

"Urgghhh…that's it! I've had up to here with her!" Ryuji groaned.

He almost wanted to point out that he was doing what Futaba wanted them to do anyway, which was continuing down the hallway.

But as the group moved forward, he stopped. He looked further down the hall, then at the floor before taking a few steps back. He held an arm out stopping Black Frost and Lilim from following.

"Hee Hoo?"

He heard the others scream and the ground start to shake.

"AWWWW! Get back!" Mona shouted

The group ran back down the hallway to where he was standing, a giant ball rolled passed them.

"THAT IS IT?! I HAD IT!" Ryuji said as he kicked the ground.

"That was…exciting…" Ann panted.

"EXCITING!"

"Okay, guys…let move on. Look there is an opening," Ren said as he pointed to a hole in the wall.

The group went across the hallway and started to file through the hole. Once Ann stepped through, he kneeled down to follow her. But then ground started to rumble as another ball dropped down into the hallway. He picked up Black Frost and Lilim and pulled them back into the previous hallway.

Before Yu could try again, suddenly, more huge rock balls fell until the hallway was filled with them.

Hmmm….

"Sensei! Are you okay!?" Ryuji shouted.

"I am fine. I will find another way to join you all. Keep going," He shouted back.

"Okay!" Ann shouted.

"Ahh…man…we have to walk around," Lilim said with a sigh.

"Hee hoo…"

Hmmm….

"Hello, Futaba-chan. You wanted to talk to me?" He said as he turned around to see Shadow Futaba standing behind him.

The shadow's eyes widen slightly.

"HEY, Futaba-chan!" Lilim said as she waved.

Black Frost hid behind him and stared at her.

"It's okay," He said as he patted Black Frost on the head.

"Hee ho…"

"I am surprised that you picked up on that," Shadow Futaba said.

"You tried to separate me from the group earlier with Anubis. So, I figured that you would try again."

"Lilim helped."

"I am an awesome secretary!" Lilim shouted.

"Yes, yes you are," He said to Lilim.

Lilim beamed.

Shadow Futaba just tilted her head.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" He said bringing things back on track.

"You have piqued my interest. Your shadows…the way you handle yourself," Shadow Futaba explained.

"Experience, really. As for shadows, you're not so bad. Probably because she is already at her limit."

"You noticed."

"I noticed. I have seen it here and in the others worlds that I have traveled. When someone tried to suppress themselves, a shadow appears. The shadow is their true self. The same applies here. In real life, they are coaches, artists, drug dealers but….behind it."

"Greed…lust…one of the seven deadly sins wrapped in a bow."

"That is a good way to put it. Your case is a little different. Her thoughts are so extreme…so lost in grief that you are now the more rational of the two. You are the part of her that knows she has nothing to do with her mother's death. That is why you have been helping the thieves."

"I haven't been helping them."

He tilted his head and grinned.

"I have been leaving them puzzles! My other self would have done that too!"

"…Which they have figured out with ease."

"I have to give them some challenge! And…And…I can't make this stealing heart thing easy for them! They have to prove their worth…uh….I will die if I didn't do anything"

He laughed then paused at her last comment.

"Futaba-chan?"

"You know…when the thieves talked about you, I expected you to be older…with a beard."

"I expected you to be taller…from how the thieves described you," He said in amusement.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"I have a feeling that the real Futaba is going to like you."

End of The Turnabout of Fair Play

Next Chapter: The Clarity of Moments

A/N: Before I get into my note. Here are what the hell Yu and Anubis were saying.

Peterman=thief

Mage=wise man

Quean=an impudent woman or woman

In sooth-Actually

Howbeith= nevertheless

I wouldn't go into much. Just this chapter was fun to write. I always kind of felt sorry for Ann and Ryuji since I sort kicked them out of my party once I got Makoto and Yusuke. So, I wanted to make it up to them. There has been a slight change of plans…the secret base has moved back for a bit (Now, you guys will get The World Within, The Lines, The Recovery) Anyway, thank you for wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys make my day!

Now for the World Ranks:

Rank 1: Training with Sensei can offer stat boosts and/or special moves for you and your party.

Rank 2: Shadow Friends: Now Sensei's shadow friends can get in on the action…although the results may vary.


	37. The Moments of Clarity

Catch-22: The Clarity of Moments

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu makes a new friend and figures out why Futaba's palace bothers him so.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Sadness

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

It doesn't matter where you're going, it's who you have beside you.

-Unknown

Shadow Futaba looked over Yu's shoulder.

"You should go on and catch up with the others. They will worry."

"I don't doubt it. Until later…Futaba-chan," He said with a grin.

He turned around and looked up at the wall of stone. He pressed his hand against one of the boulders seeing if it would move Getting no give from the boulder, he looked around and notice some ledges nearby.

"I should be able to climb up on those…"

"Are sure that it's safe, Sensei?" Lilim asked.

"I will test it once I get up there. Ready?"

Black Frost and Lilim nodded their heads. They made their way up the ledges until they reached the top of the boulders. He put his foot on one of the boulders to test how stable it was from above.

It didn't move.

"It seems safe. Black Frost, ready for a piggyback ride?" He said.

"HEE HOO!"

He grinned as he kneeled to allow Black Frost to get on his back. Once the little shadow was situated. Yu tested the boulder against his new weight before jumping onto it. It took him and Lilim a bit of time to cross the boulders before they made to the ledge. He kneeled back down to allow Black Frost off his back.

Black Frost crawled off his back clapping and bouncing in joy.

"Fun, huh?"

"Hee Hoo!"

"What now, Sensei?" Lilim asked looking around the area.

"We wait for the others."

"Okay…OH! NUE!" Lilim said as she pointed over his shoulder. Nue was sitting in a corner licking its limp paw gently.

He wondered if he hurt his paw.

Lilim and Black Frost rushed over to Nue. Yu smiled slightly as he watched them with Nue. There was a lot of arm waving.

"Come here Sensei! You have to meet Nue!" Lilim called out waving him over.

He walked over to the little group eyeing Nue's paw for an injury.

"Hello, Nue. Is your paw okay?" He said.

"Hello, Mr. Sensei. No…Nue step on something. Nue can't get it out," Nue said with a frown.

"Would you hold it up for me and Lilim to look at it? Lilim is an excellent nurse," He said to Nue.

"Yes, I am but I don't have my bag," Lilim said sadly.

"We'll just look at his paw. If we need anything to patch it, we'll wait for the others to show up."

"Okay…Nue trust Mr. Sensei and Ms. Lilim." Nue said as he showed them his paw.

He took the paw and flipped it over carefully examining it for the foreign object.

Ah.

"There is a nail in your paw. I am going to try to pull it out. It may hurt a little, okay?" He asked looking up at Nue.

"Okay Mr. Sensei," Nue said nervously.

"Ready?"

Nue nodded.

He grabbed the head of the nail and quickly pulled it out.

"OUCH! RAWR!" Nue shouted as pulled his paw away from him.

"There…all gone."

Nue looked down at his paw, seeing nothing in it, before testing putting his weight against it. Feeling no pain Nue took over running around gleefully.

"NUE, Better! Thanks, Mr. Sensei!" Nue said as he tackled Yu to the ground and licked his face.

He laughed as he tried to get up.

"I'm glad."

Finally, Nue let him get to his feet. Once he got back to his feet, he patted Nue's head.

Nue looked so happy.

"I still want to clean out your wound to make sure that it heals properly.,"

"Okay, Mr. Sensei!"

"You could have asked for permission before tackling Sensei like that!" Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo!"

He chuckled softly as he dropped the nail into a nearby vase. He didn't want anyone else to step on it.

"Per…mission?" Nue said in confusion.

"Yes, it is asking for something before doing it," He said.

Nue frowned.

"Mr. Sensei…can you please scratch Nue's head more?" Nue said eagerly.

"Of course. Thank you for asking," He said.

He scratched Nue's mane. Nue's little tail wigged on the floor.

"SENSEI!" A familiar voice shouted.

He turned around to see the others and Nue got up and jumped in front of them.

"RAWR!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ryuji squawked as he stumbled back.

Nue groaned at his students. Black Frost and Lilim ran in front of Nue and started waving their hands to stop him.

"HEE HOO!" Black Frost said as he waved in front of Nue.

"They are friends. You don't hurt friends," Lilim said as she got in front of Nue too,

"Friends? Nue no need to protect Mr. Sensei and friends?" Nue said in confusion.

"That is right. These are my students," Yu said kindly.

"Students? Friends? Do you think if…I asked per…mission…they would scratch my head and rub my belly?" Nue said eagerly.

"I am sure that they will," He said with a smile.

Nue bolted toward his students. It was understandable to see his students react with alarm as Nue stopped in front of Yusuke.

"Mr. Student….Mr. Sensei has been teaching about per…mission. He said…if I ask per…mission…you will scratch my head. Will you scratch my head?" Nue said eagerly.

Yusuke blinked.

"What an endearing creature. I would be delighted to scratch your mane," Yusuke said as he did just that.

"It is very soft."

Nue beamed eagerly.

Ann walked over and reached over to scratch Nue's head.

Nue jumped back.

"PER…MISSION! Ms. Student must ask for PER…MISSION!" Nue said in a panic.

"Oh, I am very sorry! May I scratch your head too?" Ann said with a bow.

Nue beamed.

"Yes, Ms. Student can scratch Nue too!" Nue said.

Soon, everyone was scratching and patting Nue….with permission. It was rather nice to see his newest shadow friend get along with his students.

"Hello, Ms. Human Kitty," Nue said as he got down to Mona level.

"I AM NOT A KITTY…wait…did you say human?" Mona said hopefully.

"Huh huh…" Nue said as he purred.

"SEE! He knows!" Morgana said as he pointed at Nue.

Yu wondered if he should point out that Nue did call him a girl.

Nah…he will just leave that be.

"How about we get moving?" Ren said behind his hand.

He grinned slightly. Ren caught that too.

"YES! Nue will show all the way. Come! Come!" Nue said as he took off down the hall and around the corner.

"Ahh…he is adorable!" Ann said to everyone.

"HEE! HOO!" Black Frost said with his hands on his hips.

"Not as adorable as you."

Black Frost beamed at Ann before he went and grabbed Yu's hand.

"COME COME!" Nue said as he darted back toward him.

"We are never going to get through this palace with him making so much noise," Morgana said.

"I will talk to him," Yu assured Mona.

"We need to hurry before he makes more noise," Makoto added.

The group followed Nue down the hallway to another room were the shadow had stopped and was standing by the door.

"Sad room, Mr. Sensei," Nue said sadly.

"Sad room?" He asked.

Nue nodded his head and went into the room after Ren pulled the lever.

They entered another room similar as before….

"The is the same mechanism as the one we saw before," Makoto said.

"Then we just gotta touch it and make something happen, yeah? C'mon, let's try out," Ryuji said.

Ren touched the panel and another scrambled picture appeared on the wall. Ren and the others started working on unscrambling the picture. Yu took his place on the back wall with Lilim and Black Frost.

"It seems it is complete," Yusuke said as the image become clear to them. It was of Fubata's mother jumping in front of a car.

"Is she jumping in front of a car…?" Makoto questioned in disbelief.

"Could this be the moment when Futaba's mother committed suicide…? Huh…another voice," Ann said sadly.

"F…Fubataaaa….-You….arrrreeee" The female voice resonated throughout the chamber.

"…She died right in front of Fubata's eyes," Ryuji said.

"That's horrible," Makoto added.

"So, did her desire to forget those memories cause her to repress them?" Yusuke said.

"If I take a guess…partly yes…and partly no," Yu commented as he watched as picture vanish and a new opening appeared.

"Sensei?" Ann said prompting him to explain.

"Her shadow self is very aware of her memories even to the point…of acknowledging them. Perhaps, even more so than Futaba herself. There have been moments that she has been out of control. Those moments are few and far in between compared to other shadows that I have seen. Personally, I have only seen a case like this once before,"

"Can I ask…what was the case?" Makoto said.

He nodded.

"You can, but this isn't the right place to explain it. After we are done here, we will sit down at the Sojiro's and I will tell everyone about it."

He didn't want to bring down the mood of the group anymore than it was, specially so close to the treasure.

"It didn't…end well, did it, Sensei?"

He smiled sadly at Makoto. She would pick up on that fact.

"No. I don't want my experiences to cloud yours. It would be best to move forward," He said.

Everyone nodded before jumping down the stairs. Another door opened, the group ran up to be met with another safe room.

Ren slipped in and marked it on his map before they moved on to the next area.

"Wow….these statues are huge," Ann said as she looked up.

"They are. Seeing such divine sculptures in person is exceeding rare," Yusuke said in awe.

"Yeah, I guess you prolly wouldn't be seein' anything this shit if we weren't in a palace," Ryuji added.

"Seriously. This almost feels like a trip aboard or something," Ann said.

Yu made a note of his students' expressions.

Maybe a visit to the new buildings in Kenya and South Africa would be a good trip for them. Of course, that is an excuse for them to go on a vacation.

Hmmmm….

"…I can sense lots of shadows up ahead!" Mona said.

"Yup! YUP! Lots of shadows to eat!" Nue said.

"I don't think that they will taste very good," He said.

"Awww!"

"Don't worry. When I come back, I will bring you some treats."

"TREATS! Thank you, Mr. Sensei."

He chuckled softly as the group moved on. He watched as the group worked together to take out some shadows until they made it to a small opening.

"Nue can't get through there, Mr. Sensei," Nue said as he sniffed the hole.

"Don't worry! I know another way!" Lilim said.

"Hee Hoo?" Black Frost said.

"Yes, that way!" Lilim said as she clapped.

"Uhh…should we be worried?" Ryuji said to Ren.

"Hee Hoo." Black Frost nodded his head yes.

"Well…it is kind of dangerous for you all. But us and Sensei should be fine," Lilim said as she tapped her chin.

"'girls," Ryuji mumbled.

"Don't worry! We will meet you by the next door," Lilim said with a grin.

Everyone looked at each other.

"I will be fine," He assured them with a smile.

"Okay…we will meet you at the next safe room," Ren said hesitating before leading the way into the opening.

He nodded as the others went in after Ren, hearing Ryuji offhandedly complain to Yusuke .

"Man…Sensei is going to have all of the fun, isn't he?"

"Yes, I believe so," Yusuke answered back.

Yu chuckled and shook his head.

"So, what is this way that you talked about, Lilim?" He asked.

"Up! Then Down…then Left…or it is it Right?" Lilim said as she floated around the area. She seemed to be looking for something and pointed the correct way out when she found it.

"RIGHT! Come! Come! Mr. Sensei, Ms. Lilim and Mr. Black Frost, get on!" Nue said as he ran circles around.

"I won't be too heavy for you?" Yu asked.

"NOPE! YOU HAVE PER-MISSION!" Nue said as he crouched down.

"Thank you," Yu said as he helped Black Frost and Lilim onto Nue's back. He slipped on behind them and Nue stood up.

"Are you okay, Nue?" He asked as he held onto Nue's mane.

"NUE is fine! Mr. Sensei is nice. Ready?" Nue said.

"Ready!" Lilim shouted.

Nue took off.

Riding Nue was much like riding a horse. A very big horse.

Jusis would have loved this.

"WEEEE!" Lilim shouted as they jumped over walls and rushed down hallways.

"HEE HOO!"

It was utterly nerve wrecking at first. The bumps and sudden turns but…once, he got over it.

It was kind of fun.

"LOOK! A Shadow!" Lilim said as she pointed ahead of them.

"Slow down a little bit Nue," He said as he drew his sword.

Nue slowed down a little bit…just enough for Yu to cut the shadow in half.

"WHOA!" Lilim shouted.

"HEE HO!" Black Frost cried in excitement.

"THAT WAS AWESOME! LET'S DO AGAIN, MR. SENSEI!" Nue said as he rushed down another hallway.

He laughed.

They rushed down hallways, corridors, and rooms, killing three more shadows before stopping in front of a safe room and climbing off Nue's back.

"Thank you, Nue. May I pat you to say that you were a good boy?" Yu said.

"YES! YES! THAT WAS FUN! Mr. Sensei is so much fun. Can Nue come with Mr. Sensei?" Nue said as he brushed his mane against Yu's hand.

"Of course."

"YAY!"

"ooo…look, it's Futaba-chan," Lilim said as she pointed down the hallway. He watched as Futaba-chan walk into another room.

"MS. QUEEN FUTABA!" Nue shouted as he took off.

"We should probably go after him," Yu sighed.

"Hee Hoo…" Black said as he nodded his head.

"Sensei is right…" Lilim agreed with a sigh of her own..

He chuckled and offered Black Frost his hand. Black Frost took it and their little group walked down a hallway to another room with a row of tombs on either side. Futaba-chan was sitting on a large table at the end with Nue sitting on floor in front of the table.

"Can Ms. Queen Futaba please scratch my belly? You have per…mission!" Nue said as he hopped on his feet eagerly.

Futaba-chan looked conflicted between confusion and wanting to go down and scratched his belly.

"If it helps…he doesn't bite," Yu said as he approached the altar.

"You're late. I thought that you were dead," Futaba-chan said.

"Aww…didn't know that there was a timetable," He teased.

"…I'm not sure. There's not much left at this point though."

"Time…or things to show them?"

He sighed when Futaba vanished without answering.

"RAWR!"

He stepped back as Mot appeared in front of them. He saw Naga and Lamia beside him.

"NOT ANOTHER ONE!" Lilim said with a huff.

"WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE PEACE OF THIS HOLY GROUND? THIS IS THE PHARAOH'S TOMB. NONE MAY DISTURB HER SLUMBER," Mot shouted.

"We didn't, you stupid head. We were invited," Lilim said as she threw a vase at the Naga. It hit Naga right in the face.

Nice shot.

Although….

….Where did she get that vase from?

Nue jumped on top of Mot preventing him from attacking. He growled at the coffin shadow.

"RAWR! NUE WILL EAT YOU AND YOU WILL TASTE AWFUL!"

Black Frost frozen the lamia with his ice attack then he used miracle punch to destroy it. Lilim continued to attack the Naga with vases until he took mercy on the poor shadow and finished it off..

"Get off of me! GET OFF OF ME, MOONCALF!" Mot shouted.

"Nue is no mooncalf!" Nue growled.

"Nue, I am going to need you to get off. So, I can open him up and destroy him," Yu said.

"Hear, that! Mr. Sensei is going cut you down and Nue will eat you and you will taste awful!"

"NO, I WILL PROTECT HER TOMB!" Mot shouted.

"Nope. Nue and Mr. Sensei decided that you will be cut up and eaten!"

"No….No…No…I will not be eaten! My Queen help me!"

"Yes, you will. Even if you taste awful! Ready, Mr. Sensei?" Nue asked.

He nodded as he put his blade in front of Mot. Nue got off the coffin shadow but instead of opening himself up to attack. Mot kept his door shut and started hoping down the hallway.

"I will not be eaten. I will not be eaten!" Mot shouted as he hopped out of the hallway and passed Yu's students who were at the opening of the room.

He heard Isis laughing inside of his head.

"Wow…Nue…you really scared him," Lilim said in awe.

"Nue knows! Nue is awesome. Hey, Mr. Sensei….what is a mooncalf?" Nue asked.

"A foolish person," He said as he waved at his students. His students came over to where they had gathered.

"Nue is not foolish! Nue will go after Mot and eat him," Nue said with a growl.

"Sooo….do we ask what happened?" Ren asked to them with a smirk.

"Man, I told you….Sensei has all of the fun," Ryuji said with a sigh.

"Nue is awesome!" Nue said proudly.

"That he is. I don't think that we have much more to go. Futaba-chan hinted as such," Yu said.

"That's great!" Ann cheered, "Did she say anything else?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, let's move on," Ren said.

The group nodded as they headed forward.

He watched his students fight some shadows with ease. They are getting much better at fighting, he could see them improving and working well as a team.

It made him smile.

They crossed floating green platforms and jumped over the statues that they saw when they first came in.

That was kind of cool.

Finally, they made it to another room where the light was pointed to the mural.

"The mural should display on the front wall now, right?" Ann said.

"I'd expect so. Joker, if you please," Makoto asked.

Joker pressed the button on the panel…another scrambled picture appeared.

"Wait, what? I can't even begin to tell what this one is," Ann said.

"It may be a rather difficult puzzle for us to solve…" Makoto said.

Ren nodded his head as he got to working on unscrambling the picture.

"Yes, we finished it!" Ann shouted in celebration.

"A child pulling on her mother's clothes?" Yusuke said.

"…Mom…" Futaba's voice echoed through the chamber.

"More voices," Ann said sadly.

"I'm…I'm tired of eating dinner alone all of the time. It's always just convenience store bentos. I wanna go somewhere. Take me on a trip," Futaba-chan said.

Yu's heart twisted in his chest. He spoke those words so many times to his parents…

He forgot how many times those words went unanswered….

"The one clinging to her mother would be Futaba-chan, right?" Ann said.

"Don't be so selfish! You know I'm working hard to support you, right?! Ugh!" Futaba's mother's voice rang out in reply..

"She seemed pretty angry…Is that the maternity neurosis the voice from earlier mentioned?" Makoto said.

"I thought it was pretty normal for a child to want to spend time with their parents though…" Ann said.

"Panther is right. It is normal. But…." He said in frustration.

This place had been bothering him from the beginning. He just couldn't pinpoint it yet.

"And…it looks like Futaba was pretty lonely growing up."

"So these incidents compounded, forcing her mother to suicide…?" Yusuke said.

Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. He felt a headache forming.

"…I must die…." Futaba-chan said.

"Huh?" Ann said in confusion.

Focus…Yu…He needed to work this out. The answer was right in front of him.

He remembered Naoto telling him to take one clue at a time. He'd find the answer that way.. He knew it.

"I killed her….That's why I'm here in this tomb…" Futaba's voice said.

First the mural of her mother's suicide…she witnessed it. It didn't surprise him that the moment was presented to them in a palace.

No…what bothered him was the voices…they called her a murderer….

Normally, adults wouldn't call a child that…..

Unless it was personal….

Unless it was a grudge….

"Don't say that!" Ann shouted.

Or….

The third mural….her mother was at a desk…a computer.

"I will die…"

"Futaba-chan!" Ann shouted.

His eyes snapped open and he let out a curse.

"Sensei?" Makoto said in surprise.

"I figured it out. Part of it…."

"Come on…share! Because that Futaba isn't the one that has been dragging us through this palace!" Ryuji said.

"I can only answer part of it because I am not sure what Futaba's mother was working on."

"Working on?" Morgana asked.

"Yes…what she was working on. She heard voices…she was seeing things before she threw herself in front of that car. Symptoms of a mental shutdown, correct?"

Morgana's eyes widen.

"That is right! From what we gathered…it lasted a few days. She must have had a strong will to last as long as she did," Morgana said.

"Then why target Futaba-chan?" Ann asked.

"Because she was the closest to her mother. She might have heard something about her mother's work. Since…Akechi didn't want any lose ends….but why wait now?" Makoto said.

He pointed to Ren then the rest of his students.

"Holy shit because of us," Ryuji said.

"Partly…yes. Partly, he thought that she would undo herself. Since, she didn't…he moved it along," He said as he turned away from his students. Black Frost squeezed his hand and he smiled softly. Lilim looked at the empty space in sadness.

Nue laid on the floor with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Oh…Akechi.

"…Sensei…is she growing weaker?" Yusuke asked softly.

"It is possible. With the tv world, if the person doesn't accept their true self, the shadows attack them. That world also saps your strength…makes you weak. I tend to like to make my travels in one trip. It gave my friends time to recover. Here…since the person is the ruler…Mona can correct me if I'm wrong …the distortion can destroy them more so than the shadows."

"Sensei is right. I have seen it…maybe twice. It is painful to watch because you can't reach them…or their treasure," Morgana said sadly.

"Well…we need to stop talking and save her!" Ann said.

"Ann…," He said softly to calm Ann down.

"I…sorry…"

"You have no need to be sorry. We want to save her, remember?" He said with a smile.

"Right!"

The group started to work the way down to the stairs again. The door opened to reveal another door…this time in caution tape and a sign that read keep out.

"It's open…but what's this?" Ann said.

"Hey, this ain't openin'…Think there's way to open it somewhere else?" Ryuji said as he started pulling on the tape.

"Hm?…this door…." Makoto said.

"…It looks familiar…" Morgana said.

"Where have you seen it, Mona?" He asked.

"It's Futaba's room!" Makoto exclaimed.

"That's right!" Mona added.

"Why ain't it openin'?" Ryuji said.

"It must be her cognition that no one can enter it," Morgana said.

"Ms. Queen Futaba. Nue knows Ms. Queen is sad. Can Nue please lick your face to cheer you up?" Nue said in excitement.

He turned around to see Futaba behind them. Her eyes looked from Nue to him…then to Ren.

Heh…

"Uhh…no…maybe later?" Futaba said in confusion.

Ahhh….

"But I'm surprised that you made it this far. Beyond lies the Pharaoh's Chamber."

"Ah…the treasure," He said.

"Indeed, however you need my permission to open this door."

"PER-MISSION! Nue will get permission then Ms. Queen Futaba will scratch his belly," Nue said in excitement.

"Shhh…." Lilim said to Nue.

Nue frowned and laid on the floor.

"Then open it for us," Ryuji said.

"I cannot. You must have her invite you in," the shadow said.

"What the eff…Ain't this your palace?!"

"Skull… I think that we need the real Futaba's permission."

"Sensei is right."

"So, we need Futaba-chan open her room and let us in?" Ann clarified.

"Considering that you made it all the way here, you may be able to do it…" the shadow said as she floated away.

"It looks like we have to go back," Ann said.

"But I remember Boss saying that she won't let anyone in…" Makoto said.

"Right. She's a serious shut in," Ryuji added.

"How will we convince her to allow us entry?" Yusuke said.

"Standing around here won't help. We'll have to give a try. That is what she wants after all," Makoto said.

He stared at the door and tilted his head slightly.

"Have you thought of bringing her here might open the door?"

"You can't bring someone into their own cognitive! That isn't how it works!" Morgana argued.

Yu shrugged.

"Just an idea. Besides, she and her shadow can have a conversation. It might help accept her true feelings. Making it easier to change her heart."

"That might work in the tv world but it won't work here."

"True."

Morgana looked like he was about argue back then realize Yu agreed with him.

Ann shook her head.

"We have to try…even if we have to force our way in."

"Someone sure is stoked about this…" Ryuji said.

"We have no choice but to sneak in again," Yusuke added.

"It is your call when you want to do this, Joker," Ann said.

"Leave it to me," Ren said.

"So…you're doing your calling card now?"

"Yup! Hey, Fox. Give me the one that Alibaba sent us," Ryuji said.

"Skull…"

"Come on. We have to announce it! Besides, we have to show Sensei how it is done. Queen is going to help me write it."

"Oh…that explains it."

"Explain what?"

"Why the last one was an improvement over the others…"

"HEY!"

End of The Moments of Clarity

Next Chapter: The Calling Card

A/N: Now, we have Nue. XD I based him off of Doug from Up. I also paid homage to the fact that I thought Mona was a girl for a bit in the beginning of the game. Sorry, Mona…blame it on your name! To answer my reviewer, there is a Hulu show called Catch-22. It caught me for a moment when I saw it. We are almost finished her palace! YAY! Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews, favorites, kudos, etc.


	38. The Calling Card

Catch-22: The Calling Card

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu get to see the whole calling card thing in action…if he lives through it first.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

Few days later, Ren called him that they were sending the calling card tomorrow. They should meet up at LeBlanc in the late morning. He offered to bring Theo along as a distraction while they tried to get into Futaba's room.

He waved at Sorijo as he stepped into the café.

"Those kids are sure into tutoring, huh?" Sorijo said as he rubbed one of his mugs.

"I think that they are afraid that I might over work myself. So they schedule tutoring sessions just to get me out of the office," He said with a chuckle.

He glanced around the café. It didn't look like anyone was here.

Sorijo chuckled.

"They are good kids."

"Very."

"Just…don't tell them that."

He grinned.

"Can't have that, can we?"

"Master, I am sorry! It took me forever to find parking. Oh, hello, sir. It smells marvelous in here," Theo said as he busted into the café.

"Aww, it's nothing. Just curry," Sojiro said with a flush.

"Curry?! How marvelous. You must show me. I have been using this youtube. I haven't quite got it yet. I am shame to say that my Master makes it better than me. You must show me. I wish to be the perfect attendant for My Master," Theo said eagerly. Theo rushed over to the counter to watch Sojiro work.

He chuckled softly as he headed up stairs.

That should keep Sojiro busy for a while.

Once he reached the top, he found Ren and the others already here.

"Hey, Sensei! Have a seat," Ryuji said.

"Theo is downstairs with Sojiro. That should keep him busy for a bit while we work," He said as he took a seat on a chair next to Yusuke and Ryuji said.

"I have to remember to thank him later," Ren said.

"I am sure that it is no hard ship for him. Theo loves to cook and curry has been his weakness for a while now."

Ren grinned a little.

"Sojiro loves his coffee and his curry. Even if he doesn't want to say it, he loves talking about it too"

"That he does."

"Anyway, I got the calling card, let me know when you decide," Ryuji said.

"This is different from past cases. We'll be handing the calling card directly to Futaba herself. Once we give it to her, we'll head straight into her palace. There won't be any prep work in between, so make sure you're beforehand."

Ren nodded.

"Let's do this," Ren said.

"How will we convince Futaba to let us into her room through? Even Boss is forbidden entry," Yusuke said.

"Honesty. From my conversation with her shadow, she puts a high value on it," He said.

"I agree. I notice the same thing when she talked to us," Ren added.

"Yes, that would be the best course of action," Makoto said as she adjusted her shirt.

"You know a method?" Yusuke asked.

"I think it's quite straightforward. Futaba doesn't know what we're doing her Palace, correct? Hence, if we tell her we've come to steal her heart, she'll surely open the door and let us inside," Makoto explained.

"Wait…that's it?" Ann said in surprise.

"Simple is sometime, better," He said.

"Sensei is right. Futaba wants to have a change of heart. After all, she contracted us for that express purpose. That desire should lead her to open the door as well," Makoto said.

"That's right. Our feelings should get through if we just try and talk to her," Ann said hopefully.

"All right, I believe in Futaba! C'mon, let's get this done!" Ryuji shouted.

He chuckled at Ryuji's excitement. Everyone got up from the table and headed down stairs. Sojiro was busy showing Theo something over the stove. It was rather funny to see Theo having a notebook out and writing down notes.

"We are going out to get snacks. Be right back!" Ann shouted.

Sojiro waved to them half heartened as they walked past.

"Now if you cook at this temperature…" Sojiro said as he adjusted a knob on the stove.

"I see…" Theo said as he wrote something down.

Once everyone was outside, they headed toward Sojiro's house.

"Man…totally going to thank Theo for this later," Ryuji said as they made their way up the stairs.

"It looked like that they were enjoying themselves," He said.

"They did. Boss is a really good teacher. My curry has improved a lot since I started living there," Ren added.

"I can attest to that," Yusuke said.

"Me too. Ren's curry is almost as good as Boss," Ryuji said.

Ren blushed.

Once they arrived at the door, Makoto looked down.

"We're sorry for sneaking in so many times, Boss," Makoto said softly.

"I'm sure that he will understand. You're helping his daughter," He said.

"That's true," She said with a sigh.

"There is no mistaking it. This is the same door as the Palace," Morgana said.

"Hello, Futaba? You're there, aren't you? Please answer us," Makoto said as she knocked on the door.

"I doubt she'd answer…"

"Didn't you tell me that she has been communicated through your chat? Maybe text her and she will response," He said.

Makoto nodded.

"We know that you are there. It doesn't matter if it is through chat messaging. Answer us, Alibaba."

Ren's phone rang in his pocket. Ren pulled it out for the others to read.

"In order to steal your heart, we need you to open this. We can't your heart otherwise. Please let us in," Makoto said after she read Ren's phone.

Makoto paused for a moment as it chimed again.

"The other you within your heart told us to have you open it. Deep down, you want open this door, don't you?"

He heard another chime.

"Right. We're trying to uphold our promise, but you're the one resisting us."

Another chime came through the phone.

"Ten seconds."

He grinned slightly. Makoto is definitely well named.

"Fine. But if Boss comes home, we'll kick down the door and enter if we must."

A long silence took place in the group before Makoto knocked on the door.

"Time's up, Alibaba."

Makoto turned to everyone.

"We need to change her cognition. Better to be completely safe than sorry," Makoto said.

"So she has to be one to invite us in…." Yusuke said softly.

"Futaba, please open the door." Makoto shouted.

After a minute, the door slowly opened.

"All right, let's go…" Ryuji said.

Everyone went into Futaba's room and started looking around.

It was rather messy…and he thought he heard something crunch under his shoe.

"What is this…?" Yusuke said.

"Medical science, information technology, biology, psychology…These are all technical books…" Makoto said as she stared at Futaba's book shelf.

"We knew that she was smart…judging by her palace," He said.

"Right."

"She keeps herself cooped up in a room like this all of the time…?" Ann said sadly.

"It is where she feels safe," He said as he leaned against the wall.

"Where is Futaba?" Yusuke asked.

"Probably in the closet." He said as he tilted his head toward the closet.

"She'll shut herself in till the bitter end, hmm?" Yusuke said.

"Even if that door's opened up to us, we'll get stopped again inside," Morgana said.

He moved to his place against to the wall and opened up the closet door.

"Hello, Futaba-chan. It is nice to meet you," He said with a smile.

"Sensei!"

"EEEEEEK!" Futaba said as she ducked under some clothes.

"This makes no sense. Explain yourself!" Futaba said as she tried to hide under her pile of clothes. She was doing a good job of it. She had a lot of clothes in there.

He was impressed.

"Whoa…she talked….sort of," Ryuji said.

"We needed to change your cognition. Unless we do so, we can't change your heart." Makoto explained.

"So basically, my cognition is being hindrance, keeping you away from the core of my cognitive world?"

"You understood that…" Ann said in surprise.

"Very smart," He said as he kneeled down to Futaba.

"Who are you?" Makoto said in awe.

"Hey…why did you make up some name to help you? We would help you anyway," Ryuji said.

"I am embarrassed okay!" Futaba mumbled.

"I think that I understand….It is hard to ask for help," Ann said sadly.

"How did you know about the cognitive world?" Makoto said.

"I just did, okay?"

"Oh, that is right! Boss said something about it before," Ann said.

His eye brow rose slightly. Ryuji's eyes widen then look over at the others.

"Man…we didn't tell Sensei that part."

"That would have been useful to know. We will talk about this later," He said.

"Man, we going get another "activity." But you think this is related to how he was getting' grilled by that one lady," Ryuji said.

"Perhaps her mother was researching this cognitive science that was mentioned?" Makoto added.

"Cognitive pscience with a PSI in front. Less science, more supernatural. That's important," Futaba said.

"That got her attention," Yusuke said.

"So, Sensei was right. It did have to do what Futaba's mother was working on," Ann said.

"Futaba, can you tell us what your mother was working on?" Makoto asked.

Futaba didn't answer any of their questions. She kept digging herself into her pile of clothes.

"Wait….did you really kill your mother? Was it accident? The mother that Boss described is nothing like one that was in your world. We want to hear the truth from your mouth," Ann said angrily.

"You moron!" Ryuji said in a panic.

"Ann…" Yusuke said sadly.

He wanted to comfort his student but right now, his eyes were on the pile of clothes.

He watched the pile shake…and he heard Futaba's voice.

"My…mom…was killed…urgh."

"It's possible that she can't remember because her heart has become distorted," Makoto said.

"I am sorry…I…a lot has happened…I am sorry," Ann said.

Suddenly, she popped out of the pile of clothes with her arms out. A sock hit his face caused him to stumble back.

"Go ahead and steal it!" Futaba said.

"What's gotten to you all of a sudden?" Ryuji said in surprise. Ren offered his hand and he grabbed it to get off of the floor.

"C'mon! Hurry up!" Futaba said as she refused to look at them.

"We did come to steal your heart but it's not really done right here at this moment. At least, you came out from the pile of clothes," Makoto said.

"I didn't want too! He did it," Futaba shouted.

"I am sorry. We didn't mean for you to jump to conclusions," She said.

"I see…" Futaba said as she tried to back herself into the closet.

Oh, no, she doesn't.

He placed himself in front of the closet and she rammed right into him.

"HEY! Get out of the way! You tricked me!" Futaba shouted.

"You aren't listening," He said as he refused to move.

He wanted to say more but he knew…Futaba is going to have to face the truth herself.

"I…I…You are a big meanie!" Futaba said as she putted her hands on his hips.

She refused to look at the others.

"She is aware of that world but she doesn't understand how a change of heart occurs," Morgana said.

"How much are you aware of that world?" Makoto asked.

"I know that there's another world based on cognition but I don't know how to get there. Can you guys go there? You said something about my heart…" Futaba mumbled as she looked down at the ground.

"That is right."

"How do you do it?"

"We use a smartphone app."

"An app?"

"Yes. By entering the required information, we can go into the cognitive world."

"A name…a place…and a distortion-those three. In your case, Futaba Sakura, "Sojiro Sakura's house, and-" Ryuji said.

"Futaba…you don't happen to have this app, do you?" Makoto asked.

"This….I don't…" Futaba said.

"Thank goodness…" Makoto said.

"Can you take me with you?" She said.

"No. It isn't safe," Ren said.

"I'll leave it to you then."

He frowned….something…was off. Why was she suddenly agreeable?

"Good. Don't forget your promise, all right?" Ryuji said.

"Go. I will stay with her," He said as he watched the others leave.

"That might be a good idea," Ren said.

"Oh, right! We can't get the treasure until she reads this!" Ryuji said in excitement.

"Hmm? A calling card?" Futaba said as she grabbed the card from Ryuji's hands.

"Yes, it is one we prepared for you."

"I can't read it. Big meany is standing here,"

"I'm hurt," He said in a deadpan fashion.

She sighed when he didn't move.

"It's embarrassing."

"Go…I will make sure that she reads it," He said.

"Okay…"

Once everyone left, he took a seat on her bed and waited. He might have sat in something squishy. He wasn't going to look. Futaba's eyes darted from him to the calling card.

"You are…their Sensei?"

"That is correct."

"You know…when the thieves talked about you, I expected you to be older…with a beard."

"I expected you to be taller…from how the thieves described you," He said in amusement.

He could see a smile form on her face.

"Let's see…Futaba Sakura has committed a great sin of drowning in sloth. Thus, we will rob every last of those distorted desires…" Futaba said as she read the card to herself.

"Alright! Thanks, Sensei!" Morgana said as he bolted from a pile and out the door.

"EEEEEEEKK!" Futaba shouted as she nearly fell over again. Once she regained her balance, she pointed her finger at him.

"You guys are going to give me a heart attack!"

"I doubt it."

"Hmph! Well…you are done here? Why don't run off with them and be all…thief-y?"

"Why don't tell me when you got the app on your phone?"

Futaba's mouth dropped for a moment then it went shut. Her eyes darted around her room as if she was trying to find a place to hide. Once she couldn't find a place to hide, she took a seat in her computer chair and stared at him.

"How did you…?" She sighed.

"When a teenager suddenly agrees with you, you know that they are up to something," He said with a small smile.

Nanako was a little younger than Futaba but he and uncle are starting to see puberty starting to hit.

Luckily, the others were there to keep an eye on her…much to her dismay.

"So, you are going to take my phone away?"

"No, I am not. Actually, I want you to use it."

She blinked for a moment then frowned at him. He could almost see the gears turning inside of her head.

"…But why…? The others said that it's dangerous."

"It is."

"Then why?"

"Even if they change your heart, will you see the truth?"

Futaba took the phone out of her phone and stared at it then looked at him.

"If I use this, I can change my heart?" She said as she looked down at her phone.

He remained silence. He wanted her to figure out herself.

"Vocal Input?" She said into the phone then she paused.

"Fu-Fubata Sakura…"

He heard a beep come from her phone.

"Sojiro Sakura's house…"

 _Candidate found._

"Something about distortion…distortion…distortion…hm?" She said as she shook her head.

His hand reached for his sword. The air seemed to change around them. He could sense it.

"Not again…" She said as she grabbed her head.

 _You killed her….murderer….It is all your fault!_

He heard their shouts and screams echo through the room. How in the world…..

"NO!" Futaba shouted as she bolted her chair. Instantly, he got up to follow her.

She stopped in the hallway and stopped.

"That's right. I remember now. Back when they were here, I-messaged "tomb" in the chat, and…that is right, isn't it?," She said before she turned back to him.

 _Input accepted. Searching for route to destination._

"It is," He said with a nod.

She looked up at her phone.

"It means…I can go in now?"

The air was starting to change again then the voices were echoing through the room again. He reached to grab her shoulders.

"If you are going to do this, you are going to have to it now. I will be with you. The thieves will be with you."

"I can't take this anymore! DO IT!" Futaba shouted as the air changed around them.

 _Beginning navigation._

The air shifted around them like when he and the others got into Mementos or a Palace. 

He looked around at all of the floating images and code above them.

This was definitely a new place that they haven't exploded yet.

"So this is inside of my heart…" Futaba said as she looked around.

"I believe so," He said to her.

"I didn't think that it'd be like this…"

"What did you expect?"

"Uh…a starship or an anime?"

He chuckled softly as Futaba walked around to look at her surroundings more. Suddenly, one of the murals landed in front of her.

"Huh…?"

"So you brought her…?" Shadow Futaba said behind him. He tilted his head toward her and nodded.

"I didn't bring her here. She did it herself," He said to the shadow.

A small smile on shadow Futaba's face as she walked pass him and stood in front of Futaba.

"Do you remember now?" Shadow Futaba said to Futaba.

"This is the suicide note. The men in black suits read it after mom died…"

"That is correct. Look at the next one…" Shadow Futaba said as she dropped another mural in front of them.

"This is…when mom jumped in front of that car…"

"That's right. Now, the next…"

Another mural fell in front of them.

He watched Futaba dropped to the floor. Her eyes were glued to the mural.

He wished that he could offer some comfort but he knew better. No matter how many people you have in a room…you must face the truth yourself.

"No…."

"Don't run. I thought that you made your mind up after you talked to the Phantom Thieves…to Sensei," Shadow Futaba said.

"Ok…I'll look. It's me complaining. Mom scolded me for bothering her," Futaba said as she got to her feet again.

"Yes."

"It knew it. It was me who killed mom. I was a bad daughter…I weighed her down, and she hated me for it…I's just like I remember," Futaba said in anguish.

"Are you sure?"

"Huh?"

"Remember everything. Don't avert your eyes. When did this happen?"

"Just a little before mom died…"

His lips pressed together. He was right. It did have something to do with her work.

"I whined about wanting to go on a family trip but she scolded me and said no."

"Was that all she said?"

Although for shadows…Futaba's shadow was nicer than most.

"I'm too busy right now. I need to finish my cognitive research as soon as possible," Futaba said.

"And what did you do?" Shadow Futaba said gently.

"I threw a tantrum. Told her she thought her research was more important than I was…That's when she scolded me."

"What did she say afterwards? There was more."

"…."

"Did she say…My research is almost over. Once it's finished, we can go whereever you like. I'm sorry I've left you alone for so long, Futaba. Please try to understand though. This research is really important. I need to complete it, even if it costs me my life."

"Did she hate you?"

"She didn't..?"

"What? She smiled." She said in surprised as the mural changed.

"Argh…my head…it hurts…Which is true?" Futaba said as she fell to her knees.

"I think…you know the truth, Futaba," He said as her shadow disappeared.

He walked over and helped Futaba to her feet.

"Huh…do you hear it?" Futaba said as she looked toward the stairs.

"….." 

She bolted to the stairs and quickly, he followed. They made the way up to the top of the pyramid where he saw his students laying on the ground. Up in the air…it looked like a sphinx with Futaba's mom's head on it.

"Futaba?! Sensei?! You came into your cognitive world!?" Makoto said as she got to her feet in shock.

"Mm-hm," Futaba said in a daze.

"What in the hell were you thinking?! Bringing her here! Don't you know what happens?!" Morgana shouted at him.

"Fairly good idea what will happen," He shouted to Morgana.

"Don't….wait…is that…" Futaba said as she approached his student.

 _You killed her!_

An image of man appeared in front of Futaba. He watched Futaba wrapped her arms around her body to protect herself from the voices.

"No…"

 _Why don't you say something?!_

Another image appeared before Futaba as she fell to the ground.

 _It is your fault!_

A image of woman joined the group.

"It's my fault…It's my fault that Mom…"

Once the images were gone, he rushed to her side.

"Futaba…."

"Is it my fault?"

"That is right. You killed me!" The flying monster shouted as it circled around them.

"Wait…is that monster her mother?" Yusuke said in awe.

"No…Futaba's desire's and guilt must've distorted her cognition of her. The wish that her mother was alive again is mixed in as well, along with those eerie jeers.," Morgana said to the group.

"You are nothing but a demon that stood in my way. I wish that you had never been born! That way I could've announced my results without having to waste my time on you! I poured my heart and soul into that research! It could've been the discovery of the century!" The monster shouted.

He sighed.

"Futaba…what is the truth?" He asked as he kneeled down next to her.

"Sensei….What does she mean by that?" Makoto said she kneeled next to him as well.

"Her work. Cognitive science." He said.

"Cognitive pscience," Futaba mumbled to him.

He grinned slightly. Good. She still has some fight in her.

"You are going to die! There's no meaning to your life. No one needs you!" The monster said as it hoovered over them.

"Nobody cares about me….?" Futaba said in pain.

"That isn't true," Makoto said.

He held out his hand to stop Makoto talking.

"What is the truth, Futaba?" He said.

"I don't know…I don't know."

 _I should have never had Futaba…_

 _She was always such a brother._

"You know."

 _It seemed you caused your mother a great deal of trouble, Futaba-chan…_

"We can't face this for you. You must face this yourself."

 _She must have had some kind of maternity neurosis._

"No matter what it is…we are here."

"Ng…gh…" Futaba said as her fingers dig into her head.

 _Youu…..arreee….._

"Hey, we are in deep shit if this keeps up," Ryuji shouted to everyone.

"Sensei…it is because she believed that she killed her mother that she deserves to die? Futaba gave birth to a Palace where her mother wants her dead?" Makoto asked.

"No. It is merely an illusion," He said as he shook his head.

"What?" Makoto said in surprise.

"Sensei is right! Futaba-chan, your mother is no monster!" Ann shouted.

Futaba struggled to get the words out as she cling to her head.

"But…but…"

He got to his feet and turned to Futaba.

"I am very disappointed in you, Futaba," He said softly.

"What…?" Futaba said in disbelief.

"You saw the truth. I saw the truth. You and I are cut from the same cloth. We value truth and honest with ourselves. You continue to live in this distortion…this fog. You almost seem to embrace it. You aren't the person I thought you were. For that, I am disappointed and I'm bringing you home."

Futaba stared at him with wide eyes.

Futaba's words stumbled out of her mouth.

"You…you can't make me! You can't…I want…Arghhh!"

Futaba screamed as her hands cling to her head again.

"What do you want?" He said calmly.

"I…want…."

"The truth…what is it?'

He grabbed Makoto to stop her from approaching Futaba.

"What is going on?" She asked him.

"….If I'm right, a persona."

"….Huh?!" Makoto said as she looked at him with a confused look.

"Futaba Sakura! REMEMBER!" Shadow Futaba said as she appeared before them.

"You're the reason she committed suicide. You were just getting in the way of her research. Why do you think it was suicide?" Shadow Futaba said to Futaba.

"…Because of the note."

"Exactly. The men in the black suits read her suicide note to you, and what was it written on it?"

"All of her complaints...about me."

"Yes. The shock and the pain led you to avert your eyes but they kept reading it aloud in front of your relatives."

"Think hard. Was that suicide note real? Would the mother you loved so much truly have written that? Did she ever say such horrible things to you?"

"No! She scolded me whatever I had tantrums but she cared for me!" Futaba said as she scrambled to her feet.

He grinned slightly. Finally, she seeing the truth.

"Then what about the suicide note?" Shadow Futaba said.

"A total lie!"

"You were used. They forged her suicide note to laid the blame of her death on you! They trampled all over your young heart! Get mad! Don't forgive those rotten adults!" Shadow Futaba shouted as she pointed at Futaba.

"It's because I couldn't face myself, or Mom's death. Even then, why did they have to yell at me like that?!," Futaba said angrily.

Shadow Futaba was gone and Futaba returned to her feet.

"Futaba-chan!" Ann shouted.

"I wondered if it is going to be a spaceship," He said thoughtfully.

 _What denies you in an illusion…A curse put upon you by the heartless. You knew from the very beginning…And yet, you cowered in fear…_

"That's right. I knew but I…"

 _Will you die as you are told…? Who will you obey? Cursed words spat out in a seething illusion? Or the truth within your own soul?_

 _It is your fault! IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!_

"I won't let those distorted lies deceive me anymore and I won't be led astray by other's voices either. I'm going to trust with my own eyes and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies. There's no way you're my mom! You're just a fake created by those horrid adults! I'll…I'll never…I'll never forgive them!" Futaba shouted at the flying sphinx

Shadow Futaba glowed behind her and vanished into a spaceship.

He was right.

Although, the tentacles were new.

"What the hell!?" Ryuji shouted.

"What is going on?" Morgana shouted.

"Her persona...it looks like that she is a navigator," He shouted back at the others. The tentacles pulled Futaba inside.

"Is she going to be okay?" Makoto shouted.

 _I am okay._

 _Please help me._

Ren nodded and turned his attention to the group.

"Okay…Fox, Queen, Mona are with me. Everyone to the back line. Get ready just in case!," Ren shouted.

"Right!," The group shouted.

"This is my heart's world, right? Hacking into my distortion should be no problem for me," Futaba's voice echo through his head.

Futaba in her spaceship persona made a ballista appear behind them.

 _Shoot it down with this then beat the crap of it!_

"I am going to man the ballista! It will allow everyone to focus on the battle," He shouted as he eyed the ballista.

"Do it!" Ren shouted back at him.

He rushed over to the ballista and started moving around to aim it at the sphinx. Luckily, it was too hard to operate. He let off its first arrow and hit the sphinx dead on. The sphinx fell from the sky and almost landed right on top of them. The group began to bombard the monsters with various attacks.

After taking enough attacks, the monster flew back into the air.

"Sensei, shoot another one!" Ren shouted.

He nodded and aim another arrow toward the sphinx. It took him a moment to readjust his aim and let another arrow lose.

The monster screamed as it fell onto the pyramid again.

The sphinx screamed something but he couldn't make it out. He felt something pressed against right side of his head.

At first, he thought it was one of his personas but the pressure into a sharp pain.

"Urgh…" He said as he tumbled to the ground.

"Sensei!"

His vision turned black and he heard mumbling…the voices were distant…but he heard the distinct sound of sword drawing.

Suddenly, the pain was gone.

He panted softly as everything returned to view. He saw Ann and Ryuji hovering over him with concern looks on their faces.

"Are you okay, Sensei?" Ann asked.

"I'm fine."

"What in the hell happened?!" Ryuji said in a panic.

"I am not sure."

He shook his head. It still hurt a little bit but not enough to knock him off his feet again. Ryuji offered his hand. He took it and he helped him to his feet.

"Nnngh…Futaba….Futaba! If only I had never birthed you!" Sphinx shouted.

He looked over to his students standing around the sphinix.

 _No matter what you say to me…I will live! FIRE!_

Ren drew his gun and pulled the trigger.

The monster screamed as black smoke rose from its body. It started to fall down the pyramid and disappeared from view.

Futaba hovered over them for a few minutes before her persona dropped her back down on the ground in front of his students and disappeared.

"FUTABA!" Makoto shouted as she rushed over to Futaba.

"Damn, you're freakin incredible!" Ryuji said as he pumped his arm up in excitement.

"Whoa! What in the world?!" Futaba said as she got her feet and looked at her outfit.

That outfit didn't look comfortable at all either. He is beginning to wonder if all of his students have a thing for uncomfortable outfits.

"Oh…It's totally skin-tight!" Futaba said in excitement as she patted her outfit.

"Another thing showed up?!" Ryuji shouted to the group. He looked over to see an image of Futaba's mother approach the group.

Ah, he forgot about this part.

"Mom!" Futaba shouted.

"Huh?" Ann said in confusion.

"Futaba, thank you for choosing to remember the real me" Wakaba said.

"I'm so sorry for being so selfish. Mom…," Futaba said as she moved closer to her mother.

"Don't come over here," Wakaba said.

Futaba stopped in her steps at her mother's voice.

"This isn't where you supposed to be, is it?"

"But I finally get to see you again…" Futaba cried out.

"Are you being selfish again?"

Futaba moved around nervously and struggled to get the words out.

"Uh…hm…I…I love you, Mom."

"I love you, Futaba. Now, you should get going."

Futaba watched her mother disappear then she turned around.

"Oh, right. Medjed."

"Where are you going?" Makoto asked as Futaba started walking away from the group.

"Home. I know how to use the Nav now," Futaba said as she turned her attention to the group.

"Hmm…make sure you get some rest when you get home. Getting your persona can be taxing," He said with a hum.

Futaba turned her attention to him.

"You know, you were kind of mean back there."

"Would you have it any other way?"

She blinked at him.

"No, you are right. I needed a good dose of honesty. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And speaking of honesty…you stick like a sore thumb."

"So, I have been told. What do you suggest?" he said as he offered his arm to her.

Futaba tapped her mouth with her finger and used her other arm to wrap around his. He hit the app with his other hand. The pyramid began to fade away and replace with the outside of her house.

"A ninja."

"Aww…the sword but won't I stick out even more?"

"I don't know. We have to work on that. I was thinking…ooo…a ninja mask! Opmh!" Futaba said as her feet gave out from under her.

He caught to make sure that she didn't hit the ground. He put her arms around his neck and put most of her weight against her body. Slowly, he guided her back into the house and up the stairs.

"No…a knight!" She said with a yawn.

"So, am I knight or ninja?"

"…You can be both…:yawn:…"

"That would be an interesting sort of mask."

"No…no…terrible idea…everyone is all thief-y….I know….a ninja…thief."

"And I thought that I wasn't supposed to stick out."

"Samurai!"

"So…I am a samurai thief?"

"NO! You are a gangster thief! You aree…"

Her suggestions were kind of funny.

"Don't worry…buddy…I…working…on….it."

He guided her back into her room and into her bed.

"You'reee…right about being…zzzzzzz…." Futaba said as she doze off to sleep.

He chuckled softly and pulled a blanket over her. She really needed to clean her room. He shrugged his shoulders.

Another fight for another day.

He needed to find his students first. He wondered where they ended up. As he was walking down the stairs, he heard a loud bang. He saw Ren, Makoto and Morgana started to run up the stairs.

"Sensei!" Makoto said.

He put his finger against his mouth.

"Sh…she is asleep. We will talk outside," He said as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

The group moved their conversation outside of the house.

"Is Futaba alright?!" Makoto said.

"Yes, she is fine. Waking one persona can be a draining process. She will need time to recover. I am sure that she is will be good as new in a few days."

Makoto sighed in relief.

"That is a relief. Still…we might have to tell Boss since he might notice something is off."

"Good idea," Ren said.

"With that being said, how dare you allow Futaba into her own palace? You have no idea what could happened to her! She could have died because of your stupidity! This isn't the tv world! This is something totally outside of your realm of understanding!" Morgana said as he paced in front of them.

"MORGANA!" Makoto said angrily.

He rose his hand slightly to stop Ren and Makoto from speaking.

"Allow?"

"YES!"

"She was going to go inside with or without me. She already the app on her phone when we were in her room."

Morgana stopped pacing and stared.

"What…?"

"She lied to us?" Makoto said to him.

"Yes. When she suddenly agreed with you, I knew something was up. That is why I stayed behind."

"But…how…?" Morgana said in confusion.

"I am not sure. I thought maybe you would know…"

Morgana shook his head no.

"No, I don't. I am not sure how the app appeared on your phones."

"Then we have a mystery on our hands. You are correct. Cognitive world isn't like the tv world. It is too similar for me to ignore. So, I would like your help with something, Morgana."

"What is it?"

"Next time, I am in the tv world, I would like you to come with me. You might be able to pin point what I have been missing."

"Really…? Just me?" Morgana said with a surprise expression on his face.

He nodded.

"It will be safe with just you. Besides, the tv world here is more misty than foggy."

Morgana bowed his head.

"I will be honored to help."

"Well, that is settled. So, who is going to tell Boss?"

Ren and Makoto looked at each other then pointed to him.

He shouldn't be surprised.

End of the Calling Card

A/N: My beta is back and we finished Futaba's palace. YES! Do guys know how much youtube I watched!? Hours! Hours of people running around her damn palace. Luckily, this is the last palace for a while (thank goodness). Now we getting to the fun stuff…Yu's special friend…the beach trip…Haru…Futaba and Yu communicate entirely with emojis. Fun stuff. Anyway, thank you guys for the endless support with your kudos, favorites, reviews. You guys are awesome. Read and review if you wish.


	39. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Catch-22: Break in Play: The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Kunikazu Okumura looked between the politician and then to the boy who was now in charge of Kijiro Group. He realizes that he wasn't staring at some sheep sent to the slaughter. He was staring at a wolf.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.

Thomas Carlyle

Kunikazu Okumura was bored.

He hated these parties, they were always filled with peacocks, fools, and rumors. There were some positives to these parties though. There was always the possibility of information and new allies to align with, as well as meeting the new president of Tokyo branch of the Kijiro group.

He had no idea what the company was thinking putting such a young man in charge. He was still in college for crying out loud.

He gave the boy six months…tops.

Speaking of the boy…he was talking to his daughter.

In fact, the boy was surrounded by people. How on earth did he know Schwartzer and Albarea? They were talking like they knew each other.

How did the boy make connections that fast?

He supposed he underestimated the boy. It might be good to have Haru make an alliance with him, as long as it doesn't make the papers.

Kunikazu cared very little for what she did outside of her pending marriage.

"You stupid bitch! I told you the gray one, not the navy," Koki Yamamoto shouted as he almost stumbled to the ground. His secretary reached out and tried to grab him to prevent him from falling.

Kunikazu sighed.

God, the man was already drunk. The party had barely started and the fool was already at it. The only reason he was here was because of money. His family had a lot of it. At one time, Kunikazu had thoughts of making an alliance with him..

He was glad that he changed his mind.

The man was a mess.

"I…am…am sorry, sir. My apologies. I will fix it right away, sir," His secretary said with a bow.

Poor woman. He hoped that she is paid enough to deal with such a mess.

"Fix it? You are always "fixing" something that you made a mess of! I don't know why I put up with you! You stupid…stupid…" Yamamoto shouted and spat at the woman. The woman stepped back in fear.

He sighed. They were going to have to call security again.

"Mr. Yamamoto, I have been wanting to talk to you," The boy's voice said.

How on earth did the boy move that fast?

Kori paused when the boy called his name. The boy's hand was firm on Kori's shoulder. He can imagine if Kori took a swing at the boy he would miss and get in more trouble than it was worth.

"Let go of me, boy! Do you know who I am?! I am Kori Yamamoto, the son of…" Kori shouted as he turned his attention to the boy.

"I am very aware who you are since your father stopped by my office. Right now, you are acting like a raging drunk," The boy said calmly to Kori.

He noticed that the boy didn't remove his hand from Kori's shoulder.

Kori's eyes widen in shock.

"How dare you! You need to respect a conversation between…"

"Not really conversation, is it? But, please, do finish it. I like discuss your father's proposal."

Kori blinked and struggled to find his words. The boy had completely disarmed him.

Kori turned back to the woman.

"The navy…suit for the California trip."

"Yes…yes, sir," She said with a bow then left the room.

"Aww…California. You will enjoy the weather. As for your father's proposal, I am afraid that I will have to decline," The boy said to Kori.

"Wh…why? How…"

"You must understand. Your father is a very honorable and knowledgeable man. I told him that I would look it over and it is a sound proposal. There was just one clause and the reason that I am here today talking to you. You were to act to liaison during the contract. As I witnessed, I found your behavior…to be undesirable. I will not tolerate this behavior toward me or my company."

"HOW DARE YOU?! You are nothing but some boy! Some upstart! I can tell my father that…!" Kori shouted at the boy.

He could see Schwartzer and Albarea moving closer. This boy….

He tilted his head and stared at Kori.

The entire room was watching as if it was frozen in time. He looked between Kori and the boy.

"I am rather new at this whole running a business. I can image that the board will probably have some words with me about being nicer towards future clients. I refuse to see anyone treated in the manner that you treated your assistant. I am sure that the reason why no one confronted you is out of respect for your father's power and influence. If your father has a problem with me he can call my office and we will sort it out. Now if you excuse me, I have other guests to attend too," The boy said as he turned away and walked back toward his friends.

"…Wait…I? BOY! COME BACK HERE!" Kori shouted angrily.

Kori took a drunken swing at the boy. The boy turned around and caught his arm.

Kori tried to jerk back his arm in a panic, but the boy's grip remained firm.

The security had enough sense to step in at that point.

"BOY! BOY! I am talking to you! Come back! LET ME GO!" Kori shouted as the security took him away.

The boy didn't even turn back around.

"You are starting to sound like Rean," Albarea said as the boy rejoined his little group.

"I don't sound that bad," Schwartzer grumbled.

"You don't. You are very motivative, Rean. I was very impressed with your group project speech."

Albarea coughed into his hand…which gave Kunikazu the impression that he was trying to hold back laughing.

Schwartzer's face flushed and he scratched the back of his head.

"I have never seen Mr. Yamamoto act like that before, then again, I tend to avoid these types of things. If you and Jarius didn't drag me here, I wouldn't be here. I heard rumors but to witness it. I hope the woman is alright. I am glad that you stepped in."

"From what I heard, it usually happens later in the night. I tend to leave before it happens." Albarea added.

The boy nodded.

"You know that could cost you."

"It is a cost that I am willing to take."

"See…you are becoming Rean."

The boy laughed then started waving to someone behind him.

"Mr. Toranosuke!" the boy shouted.

He snorted. What on the earth does the boy want with No Good Tora?

Yoshida seemed just as surprised by the acknowledgement.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The boy broke away from his friends before approaching Yoshida.

"Mr. Toranosuke. My name is Yu Narukami. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard some of your speeches, they are quite impressive. You have some very sound and interesting thoughts on current economic and social policies. I am surprised that they aren't getting more attention," the boy said with a smile and a small bow.

Yoshida's face broke out into a huge smile then he offered his hand. The boy shook it firmly.

"Why thank, Mr. Narukami. I'm rather impressed really. Not many stop to listen to my speeches. I am surprised that I haven't seen you there. You are quite a notable figure."

The boy's smile grew, and he had this glint in his eyes.

"I am merely the entertainment for the moment. In fact, it has already passed with the whole Madjad and Phantom Thieves conflict, along with the elections. Besides, your audience has grown quite a bit. So, I am not surprised that you couldn't see me."

Yoshida scratched the back of his head and flushed.

"I seemed to have embarrassed you. I will let you go. Perhaps we will meet again."

"I would like that. I would also like to hear your thoughts of the future of this country as well. You seem to be an insightful young man. Your work to expand internet access to more rural parts of our country has been working wonders."

"Why thank you. I lived in a rural area of Japan during my high school years. The internet was spotty at best. Technology is our future after all, we can't leave the rest of our country behind. I will have Theodore, my assistant, get your number and he will set up something between us."

He blinked when the man in a blue suit seemed to pop up with the sound of his name.

This Theodore seemed very eager as he got a notebook of his pocket to get Yoshida's information.

Kunikazu snorted.

The boy will be useless especially if he got involved with No Good Tora, but Kunikazu did want to make some impression.

He worked his way toward the boy while Yu was still alone..

"Mr. Narukami!" He shouted to get Yu attention.

The boy stopped and turned to him.

"Good evening, Mr. Okumura," the boy said with a small bow.

"Good evening," He said with a bow then offered his hand.

"What do I own the pleasure of your company?" the boy asked with the tilt of his head.

"I saw you talking to my daughter, Haru."

"Ah, she is very insightful. She was telling me her future plans. I know that marriage is in her cards, but she has very sound business ideas."

He blinked in surprise. His daughter never said anything to him about this.

"Oh?"

The boy nodded.

"She spoke of starting her own business. A café focusing on locally grown products . She spoke of trying her hand at making coffee as well. I gave her the number of a local café owner who is an expert on coffee. I'm sure that she will enjoy learning from him. We are also conducting research about plant life and growing them on less ideal soil. I told her that I will pass on our research once it concluded."

He snorted.

"It wouldn't work in this market."

"I am not sure. There are some successful restaurants and cafes here in the city who marketed themselves as organic and locally grown. It is also popular in other parts of the world such as the States and Europe. I can imagine with the right marketing and backing that it could be very successful here as well."

"And you are interested in backing her?"

"Maybe. She will have to finish school first and I would like her to take business classes."

He snorted.

"I wouldn't bother. I can go the board and…."

"I told her that it might be a bad idea."

"Excuse me?" He said in surprise.

"There have been rumors about you and your future in laws. I warned her that it might not be wise to seek funding from you."

He felt his face become red. Damn boy. He spit out angrily.

"If you don't get your hands dirty, you clearly don't understand business."

"I have no problem getting my hands dirty, Mr. Okumura. I have an image to rebuild as well, the Kijiro Group has been going through some rough times. Leadership is about responsibility and vision, not power. Do you take responsible for your high turnover rate? How many people suffered from mental and physical breakdowns under your leadership? How many people had on site injuries? Your output has been incredible, but those profits are suffering due to high a turnover rate and lawsuits."

"I know that and I don't care!"

His mouth snapped shut and he stared at the boy. The boy looked almost… sad. Why on earth is this boy pitying him?! He was getting more wealth and power than the boy could ever dreamed!

"I noticed." the boy stopped then shook his head.

"Good evening, Mr. Okumura. It was a pleasure to meet you."

The boy turned away.

"Wait…I…"

Why in the hell is he stopping the boy?! He should let him walk away. The Kijiro Group are fools.

But….

He adjusted his jacket and stood tall.

"You're wrong."

The boy stopped in his track and tilted his head toward him.

"About?"

"Vision! Responsibility! I have a vision of my company going international. I have the responsibility to my company to make it so!"

"That is a lie."

He recoiled as if he was slapped and his eyes widened in shock. The boy continued without missing a beat.

"Your vision is power. Your responsibility is to that power. What will happen when you get that power, Mr. Okumura? What is the purpose? Until you have that answer for me, I believe that we are done. Good evening again," the boy said with a slight bow before moving away.

He heard a soft chuckle over his shoulder. He turned around to see Shido-san behind him.

"He doesn't mince words, does he? I rather like that. I might need to talk to him before I go," Shido-san said.

"I…."

"He's right, you know. Your quest for power will lead you nowhere. Mr. Narukami! A word if you will," Shido said as he walked past him.

The boy stopped again and turned to look at Shido-san.

The boy wore the same expression as before…not awe or fear...

But open curiosity.

No, it wasn't that at all. It was someone sizing up a threat.

This boy wasn't a sheep. He was a wolf.

And they left him with open arms.

End of The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Next Chapter: The Thin Red Line

A/N: I have plans and plots and things! :D One thing that I planned when I started this fic was the introduction of Haru. I always got the impression that they went oh, crap…we need someone else and just dropped her in without much of an introduction. So, I decided to change that a little. As for Yu's mystery friend, yes, you will be seeing more of him soon. Anyway, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc.


	40. The Thin Red Line

Catch-22: The Thin Red Line

By: M14Mouse

Summary: It has been awhile since Yu and Akechi had a talk.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first."

― Suzanne Collins

"It has been awhile. You seemed stressed since the last time, we had talked," Yu said as he took a seat next to Akechi at the counter.

"While it isn't my area of expertise, Medjed and Phantom Thieves have made things complicated around the office," Akechi said to him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, the phone calls have been senseless. Mostly, it's Medjed has hacked my account or computer or The Phantom Thieves have taken my friend's heart. Of course, we have to investigate each case even if proves to be nothing."

He nodded his head. Sojiro approached the pair.

"What can I get you, kids?" Sojiro said.

"A coffee, please. Three sugars and cream," Akechi answered.

"Tea," Yu said cheekily.

He saw a brief smile play on Sojiro's face.

"One of these days, I am going to kick you out for that answer," Sojiro said as he adjusted his glasses.

"You would miss me if you did. Since you don't have tea, I will go with coffee and three sugars."

Sojiro chuckled then moved away from the pair.

"I didn't know that you came here often," Akechi said.

"Your fault."

Akechi laughed.

"I suppose it is since I did introduce you to this place."

Yu grinned at his friend. Sojiro returned with two cups of coffee and set the cups in front of them.

"Thank you," He said to Sojiro, who waved it off and went back to cleaning some mugs nearby.

Typical Sojiro.

"Going back to what we talking about. The media doesn't help either. I have never seen so many reports of misdirection and misinformation."

Akechi sighed.

"As long as it's a good story."

"…and it sells papers," He added as he took a sip of his coffee.

He didn't know how much he can press Akechi about his involvement with Medjed without revealing his involvement with the Thieves.

"Truly. One of those supposed "hacks" turned out to be an employee who forget unlock the system in the morning."

"From my morning reports, one of the hacks turned out a company who hadn't updated their systems since I was in high school."

"Pitiful."

"Truly."

He shook his head and chuckled.

"We are doing it again."

Akechi chuckled softly.

"Yes, we are."

"So, I had an interesting time at a party I had to attend."

"Oh?" Akechi said with interest.

"Yeah, I meet Kunikazu Okumura and Masayoshi Shido."

"What is your impression of them?"

"Kunikazu Okumura is lost. He wants power but has no idea what to do with it once he has it. Of course, I pointed that out to him, he was insulted. Although, that hasn't stopped him from calling my company, I get the impression that he wants to prove he's right. So, I decided to invite him and his daughter to one of my research facilities and he invited me to one of his facilities. It will be interesting to see what happens."

"From what I read in the papers, Okumura has political aspirations but doesn't speak on what he will do once he gains a position. It was insightful of you to pick up on that."

"I read my company reports and the papers. As much as I stand by the truth, I know rumors can have a grain of truth. There are too many for me even to ignore."

"Very true. Even in my line of work, I hear the rumors. It is pitiful. Hopefully, he will realize his mistakes before it leads to his downfall."

"We can hope."

"And what do you think of Masayoshi Shido?"

There is that tone again. Goro's voice changed just a little bit when he said the man's name. Yu wondered what that was about.

"Interesting."

Shido was charming enough. He knew his name and his company. He knew little things to make the conversation engaging. He knew the man was intelligent enough. He spoke on his own company's research and its holdings. Clearly, he wasn't just a figurehead.

Still…something felt off about him even Isis spoke up about Shido.

That man has two tongues.

That was enough to put Yu on guard.

"Come, my friend. By reports, he is our future Prime Minster. There should be more to your interesting comment."

"I had a ten-minute conversation with him before he had to go. I don't think that's enough time to judge him. But, like the media has reported, he is charismatic and intelligent. He has a way with words to draw you in."

"But?"

"He is interesting," Yu said as he took another sip of his coffee.

He could tell that he was baffling his friend. Goro's eyebrow almost disappeared into his hair line.

"Good or bad interesting?"

"Interesting enough for me to pick up the phone if he calls but not enough to seek him out."

"Why?"

"I have enough to do. Right now, my focus is on my work. You have seen my table, Goro."

Akechi chuckled.

"I have. I attest that you work too much. What about that vacation that you were talking about?"

"Vacation? You jest, my friend. Although, Theo has cleared a few days in my schedule to go visit my cousin and my uncle. He has been very insisted about it. It even has big bold letters in my calendar. And you?" He said with a grin.

Akechi chuckled as he slipped his coffee.

"You jest, my friend. You can think of this as my vacation. I think that I'm rather enjoying it."

"I'm honored but I do think you need one. Sometimes, you worry me. I know some of those texts you send me aren't on a delay."

"Perhaps, after the thieves are captured, I will go on a vacation."

Yu hummed for a moment.

"I will hold you to it. Oh! I know. Perhaps, a day then…no work…nothing. I will take you this wonderful sushi place that my students suggested to me and fishing. There is a fishing pond in the area that I have been meaning to try"

Akechi blinked for a moment.

"Fishing?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I like to fish."

Akechi laughed softly.

"You continue to surprise me. Very well….sushi and fishing."

He beamed slightly. It would do Akechi some good to relax.

Both of them needed a day off in some form or another.

"Good. Text me the day that you are available and I will add it to my phone," He said to Akechi.

Akechi smiled for a moment before the smile turned into a frown.

"Akechi…Goro? Food for your thoughts?"

"How about coffee? No…I…thank you, you are truly a good friend. One of these days, I will repay you for that friendship."

Akechi's tone sounded strangely sad. He was wondering what bothering him.

One of his cases or….one of things that happened in Mementos…or maybe even his students.

"I try to be. You know you can talk me if you want…even if it is one of your cases. Naoto did it from time to time. You don't have to be strong and perfect all of the time especially for me, Goro."

Akechi jolted back for a moment at his comment.

"Thank you. Perhaps, one day, I will take you up on that offer."

Yu smiled softly.

"Good."

-P4P5P4-

When he reached the door to his apartment, he felt his phone vibrate. He looked at the screen and smiled.

It was his uncle.

He hit the answer button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello, uncle."

There was a moment of pause over the phone.

"Hello, Yu. Uhh…how are you?"

"I am fine? Are you okay? Is Nanako okay?" His voice raising panic.

"Oh, yes! We are fine! Everyone is fine. I just wanted to call you before you find out."

"Find out what?" He said in confusion.

"Adachi is dead. Killed in some type of fight. I don't know all of the details yet. I…."

He didn't hear his uncle next words. He felt a cold lump down in his stomach.

He was pretty sure that Akechi investigated his background. It was in his nature.

He was acting strange this afternoon.

Dear god, Akechi, what have you done?

End of The Fine Red Line

Next Chapter: Break in Play: The World Within

A/N: -steps slowly away and hides- Okay, guys. You knew that this was coming. Afterall, I did warn you. It should be interesting to see Akechi and Yu's friendship goes from this point. I am totally glad everyone liked the last chapter. It was a toughie to write because Yu isn't very wordy unless he is pissed. Both from the game/anime, he is very much on point. I even cut some of his dialogue to reflect that. I told you that I would introduce Haru early. She will pop up again soon.

Anyway, thank you for the wonderful reviews, favorites, kudo, etc.


	41. The World Within

Catch-22: The World Within

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Yu takes Mona to the tv world. Mona does something that he hasn't done in a long time. Listen

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.

-Bryant H. McGill

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

"How was the tv world?" Ren asked him.

Morgana stopped licking his paw for a moment to answer thoughtfully.

"Misty…disjointed…expansive. In other words, it left me in awe."

Ren put down his phone and looked at him.

"Wow."

Mona nodded.

"It just like how Sensei described it."

"Man, I wished that I could have gone."

He felt a bit of smugness from Ren's comment. He was the first to step into the tv world. Sensei chose him to go first.

"I think Sensei talked about taking the team one by one or two by two. The place outside of his tv isn't very big."

"Is it floating islands like Sensei described?"

"Yes, some more connected than the others but floating islands is best way to describe it. I'm curious about Inaba, he expressed that it is more together there. He said that it is beautiful when no one is messing with it. I kind of want to see it too."

Mona wasn't going to tell Ren this, but he spent 30 minutes just sitting there watching the islands float by.

"Me too. Although, I am not sure about sticking myself into a tv set, I get nervous every time I see Sensei do it."

"It was fine. Nothing to be afraid of," He said.

Okay, he was mildly terrified, and his claws may have torn holes into Sensei's good suit when they stepped into the tv world.

Ren didn't need to know that.

Ren laughed.

"Good to know. What else did you two do?"

"We explored. We compared and contrasted the differences between the tv world and the Metaverse."

"And?"

"Sensei was right. There aren't many differences between the two. I changed the same way that I change in the Metaverse, but it took me a few minutes to summon my persona. Only "rules" that we could see that the tv world is formless until something or someone cause it to react. Sensei called it the baking soda effect. The islands are like batter, add baking soda in and it will rise up.."

Ren adjusted his glasses and frowned.

"The Metaverse isn't formless?"

"I guess it could be without everyone's cognitions…but then we wouldn't have a Metaverse if we took that away."

"Good point. Anything else?"

"I saw Sensei's persona."

Ren got up from the bed and looked Mona excitedly.

"What was it like?"

"Like standing in front of a god."

He could sense everyone's personas. Each had a different feel, and each had their own sense of power. Sensei's persona was nothing like theirs and it was utterly terrifying. It didn't help that the very air around them hissed. It didn't help that his glowing red eyes were staring at him and his massive sword was drawn.

Much like Sensei, the presence of Sensei's persona could fill a room and demanded your attention.

Power?

He fell to his knees to bow. If he felt tiny before, at that time he felt like dust that he could easily be blown away.

He was damn lucky that Sensei decided not to use his persona when they fought. Even if he was embarrassed by the loss, he would have been destroyed.

In the back of his head, he thought that Sensei's persona was weak. The he couldn't use it in the Metaverse. He was too smug about that fact.

That was a mistake.

Personas are a mask and a second face to the world. He knew that sensei told them that he didn't see himself as a thief. His persona mirrored that. It was a warrior made flesh.

Mona was an idiot.

A complete, utter idiot.

He was so lost in his head that he missed that fact.

Thankfully, Sensei forgave him for it.

Ren looked at him in awe.

"Wow…."

"Sensei's persona, Izanagi, could crush us without breaking a sweat."

"You weren't lying when you said that it was a god. My history of mythology is a little rough, but Izanagi created the islands and stuff. Makoto might know more."

"I will ask her," Mona said with a nod.

"What else did you two do?" Ren asked.

"Uh…talked."

"About?"

He sighed.

" _You know, Ren hasn't told me about his record yet."_

" _What?"_

" _Ryuji and Ann told me. They wanted to know if I could something about it. The file is sealed, but I found some articles on the incident and it is strange. They made a big show of the trial, but I can't find anything about the people involved. I am having one of my lawyers look into it if they can find anything."_

" _Why do you think that he hasn't told you?"_

" _If I take a guess at it, he doesn't want disappoint me. I have a feeling, beside Sojiro, every person has torn him down. When he is ready to tell me, I will be waiting to listen. But now, onto you….what is your problem?" Sensei said as he took a seat next to him._

" _I don't have a problem," He said._

 _He felt a moment of outrage. That is why Sensei brought him here. Just to corner him. He needed to get out of here before…._

" _At first, I thought that it was with me. I know that you had problems with me teaching the others because that was your role in the beginning, but I thought that we resolved that. Am I wrong?"_

 _Mona felt his chest puff up._

" _We did! I have no problem with you teaching. In fact, I learned a lot from you."_

" _The same for me, especially from you and Ren," Sensei said with a smile._

" _Really?"_

" _Of course. I would have stumbled around Mementos without you. I love my friends, but Incubus is likely to lead me into dead ends. Your knowledge is remarkable and sense of direction is top notch. Your ability to keep everyone focused and on task is impressive, especially when dealing with Skull and Fox."_

 _He felt his body deflated then his face turn red._

" _Then I realized that isn't your problem. In fact, you had the same problem I did a few years ago."_

" _What?"_

" _I pointed out when we fought. You fear being alone. I think that fear reappeared when Futaba-chan joined."_

 _He felt his hackles rise up again as he started to protest but Sensei cut him off._

" _You have been alone for some time. You explored alone. You ate alone. You survived alone. Suddenly, you're surrounded by new people. People like you. You realize you have friends and, in some ways, a family. You're afraid of losing that. You are afraid of being discarded. I don't blame you at all."_

" _I am not afraid at all! I am not! I don't need them! I don't! If they don't need me, that's fine!" He shouted._

" _Bullshit."_

 _His mouth snapped shut and his eyes widen at Sensei's tone._

" _Mona, why do you deny yourself this truth?"_

" _Because it will be easier, okay!" He snapped._

 _Sensei just stared at him._

" _It's easier to pretend that I don't care. I don't want the others to see me afraid because I don't want to seem weak in front of the others."_

 _Sensei nodded._

" _My little cousin…my little sister if you will, got kidnapped and taken inside of the tv world. We were able to get her out but the tv world had a terrible effect on her. We had to rush her to the hospital. For months, she moved in and out of conscience until she flat lined."_

 _He heard the angst in Sensei's voice. It might have been years but this memory still hurt. He moved closer and nudged his head against Sensei's hand. Sensei smiled softly and gently pat the top of his head._

" _Did…did she make it?"_

 _Sensei nodded._

" _She did. During those horrible moments, I was a mess on the inside but my friends were equally so. They were looking to me for guidance and leadership. I knew that I had to be strong. I had to be the calm one. I had to keep it together until the end. Once we found out that she pulled through and after everyone left, I broke down. I broke down under a lamp post on the side of the street in the middle of a snowstorm. I didn't have to be calm or strong. I could break down and no one would see me. I didn't care. Funny thing is, I may not have cared but my friends did. Yosuke came and saw me in the middle of my breakdown. He didn't care. He allowed me to cry on his shoulder and question my decision. You see, Mona, where we are weak, true friends acknowledge that weakness and makes us stronger."_

" _I don't think the others know."_

" _Oh, Mona, they do know. They just haven't been telling you about it. They are afraid to hurt your feelings, especially Joker. You're his best friend at all."_

 _His eyes widen as the words stumbled out of his mouth._

" _I'm his best friend? Surely, he knows that I'm using him to get my end goal! Surely!"_

 _Sensei gave him this knowing look._

 _Mona felt his body sink down._

" _You know that he never questioned that I wasn't cat. He always said that we are going to make you human again even if he said that he wasn't sure how to do it. Everyone else doubted me and he didn't. And I…I was so grateful for that. He doesn't treat me like a cat. He takes me almost everywhere with him when he can. I…he is really my best friend," He said in realization._

 _Sensei hummed softly._

" _I'm a terrible friend."_

" _I'm glad that you realized that before someone got hurt."_

" _HEY!"_

 _Sensei smiled softly._

" _Honesty is always the best policy, even when it hurts."_

"Uhh…stuff."

"Oh…." Ren said with a small frown.

Okay, Morgana…you can do this. Sensei said that you need to be honest with yourself and to everyone else.

He stopped licking his paw and stared at Ren.

"I'm a terrible best friend."

Ren gave him a slightly confused look.

"Huh?"

"I keep saying that I'm using you. In reality, I depend on you more than anyone else. At first, I came along to make sure that you kept your end of the promise. As time went on, I realized how much I liked you. You took me everywhere with you. You made me a part of your world. We make tools together, we talk about palaces and missions, but also random stuff that we see on tv. I like it. I like being included in everything, and I like it the most when I'm doing it with you. So, there."

Ren adjusted his glasses.

"Wow…Sensei must have had some talk with you."

"Hey!"

"No…no…it isn't a bad thing. I'm glad. Really, I am. I tried to show you that you were a part of the team, especially after the whole fight with Sensei. I guess I failed."

"No, you didn't fail. I was just too hardheaded to see. Just, don't tell Ryuji that."

Ren smiled a little. Mona jumped from his perch on the nightstand to the bed. He curled up next to Ren.

"I won't."

"I realize that I keep hurting everyone on the team because of my feelings. I just met Futaba and I can already tell that she is going to run circles around me. So, I am going to work extra hard to do my part."

"I'm counting on it. Since you are being so honest, I guess that it's my turn. Thank you for being here. I couldn't do anything of this without you. Thank you also for believing me. I told you my story and how I got here, you accepted it without question. I know the others believe my story now, but that wasn't always the case. I know that I can count on the them, but you are always there for me. I never had a friend like that."

He rubbed his paw across his face. He wasn't crying. Nope, he just got dust in his eyes.

"I told you that I could scratch out their eyes for you," He said.

"I think that they would find out that you've been hiding in my desk."

"Hah…I am a thief. They couldn't catch me!"

Ren laughed.

"I don't doubt that at all."

"Of course, I am the best," He said in a matter of a fact tone.

Ren laughed again. It was a good sound. It was a happy sound. It was a sound that he liked to hear.

He quickly joined in.

End of The World Within

Next Chapter: The Recovery

A/N: See, Mona! Talking is your friend and you can tell people you know…your feelings. Now, I won't have to deal with emo kitten anymore. Now, Poor Yu. He won't have concrete proof of Akechi's involvement until later but it does hurt. You get little hints of Yu's mindset until I dropped the chapter, the Tipping Point. Ah…yes, Shido. Yu isn't quite in his obit yet but it will happen. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys make my world.

Now for Royal: I am sure most of us read some of the new info coming out. I have been asked in the past if this fic with be compliment with it. This fic won't be. When we get it in the states, if I see enough to make *changes*, it will be a different fic altogether.

Fun Question: If you could name one of Yu's shadow friends, who would it be and their name?


	42. The Recovery

Catch-22: The Recovery

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Futaba has recovered and there are emojis.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Many thanks to AKatsinTcups for betaing this chapter.

It's always fun when you get to go somewhere new and you get to meet new people and get new experiences.

-J. B. Bickerstaff

Sojiro looked up from his place at the counter as Yu entered the café.

"Tutoring again?" Sojiro said in amusement.

They're really going to need another base because he can't keep up with the tutoring excuse. Stopping for coffee can only work so much because his offices aren't close to the café. Luckily, he was almost done with his plan.

"I wish. Theo tried to make coffee again," he said as he took a seat at the counter.

Sojiro laughed.

"I take it that it ended badly."

"I don't have a coffee maker anymore and lost three mugs to the cause."

 _You are lucky that you still have an apartment._

His eyebrow rose slightly at the unknown persona. He had become more active lately, agitating the others.

You just want Starbucks again.

 _I do not._

He fought a grin off his face. Isis informed him that "the grumpy old guy" liked the chocolate croissants.

"Even if I hate the blasted place, your assistant should look up Starbucks."

"He tried. The menu confused him then he brought all the pastries in case. He said that they were calling his name. I didn't protest too much."

He laughed at the memory of Theo holding bags of pastries like it was his treasure. He'd never seen Theo so excited.

Sojiro laughed again then picked up an empty cup.

"Your assistant is something."

"He is, but I like him."

Sojiro shook his head as he poured Yu a cup of coffee then set it in front of him.

"Then-"

"Hey, Boss! Hey, Sensei!" Ryuji shouted as he entered the café.

"Good morning, Sensei! Good morning Boss," Ann and Yusuke said as they followed behind Ryuji.

He grinned and waved to his students.

"Good morning…here to see Ren?" Boss asked.

"Yup, we are going to hang out today," Ryuji said as he slipped into one of the booths after Yusuke.

"Do you guys want anything?" Boss asked.

"Water if it isn't too much trouble," Ann said to Boss.

"It isn't like that I have anybody important here," Sojiro said with a wave as he goes to get some cups. Yu watched as Sojiro added some ice and water to each cup then brought them to the counter where Ann took the cups to their booth.

"I'm hurt, Sojiro. To think that you would say that to a paying customer," He said with a grin.

"You don't pay that much, Yu," Sojiro said with a wave.

"You wound me."

"You can handle it."

The door burst open to reveal Makoto. She looked like she ran from the train station.

"Sorry that I'm late," Makoto panted.

"Nah. Don't worry about it. Ren isn't up yet," Ryuji said with the wave of his hand.

"Hey, your friends are here. Hurry down," Sojiro shouted up the stairs.

Few minutes later, Ren and Morgana came down the stairs.

"So, you're finally up, huh? Don't slack off just 'cause you're on summer vacation," Sojiro said.

"Yo, you look tired," Ryuji said.

Carefully, he looked over Ren, who had dark circles under his eyes. Ren did text him last night to say that Futaba was awake and supposedly did her thing. Few minutes later, he got unknown text with ninja emojis. He returned the text with an alien emoji.

Just because he could.

"We've made ourselves at home," Ann said happily.

Yu shook his head with a smile as he added his cream and sugar to his coffee. It didn't take much for them to do so.

"Late last night, it was discovered that someone had tampered with the hacker group Medjed's website. The site's main page now displays what is thought to be the mark belonging to the Phantom Thieves. More so, the personal information of a Japanese man, a possible Medjed member, was illegally publicized," The reporter on the tv said.

"Aren't these the guys people have been up in arms about?" Sojiro said as he looked over at the tv.

"Yes, we had a security meeting about them. Apparently, our holdings didn't interest Medjed and our servers weren't hacked," He said to Sojiro.

"They did seem more focus on banks and such."

"Medjed has yet to issue an official reply. Furthermore, their previously announced cleanse of Japan has remained unimplemented for now. Some speculate that they have taken this series of events seriously and ultimately canceled their plan," the reporter continued.

He heard his students celebrate in the background.

"What're you all smirking about…?" Sojiro said as he turned his attention to his students.

"Nothing," Ren said behind him.

"Well stop it. You're gonna drive away all of my customers."

"I don't see myself going anywhere," Yu said.

"I can kick you out," Sojiro said as he turned his attention to him.

"You'd miss me."

"I doubt it."

"After the commercial break, we will be asking guests from various fields about this turn of events," The tv report finished with in the background.

"You two have a very strange friendship," Makoto commented.

"I keep Sojiro's life interesting. He would be bored without me," Yu said as he turned to Makoto.

"Seriously doubt it. It seemed summer vacation kept everyone away expect this guy," Sojiro added.

"Oh, crap! I just realized our break's almost over," Ryuji said in surprise.

"There is still ten days left," Yusuke pointed out.

"I wanna go somewhere, but we can't leave Futaba-chan alone," Ann said with a concerned tone.

He heard Makoto mumbled something to others, but his attention was on the door. Futaba opened the door and walked past the group.

"Oh, did you just get up?" Sojiro said to Futaba as she nodded her head.

"Good morning," Makoto said to Futaba.

Futaba made a noise and hide behind Ren. He covered his smile behind his cup. It reminded so much of Nanako. He wondered how Ren is going to feel about having a little sister. It is better to leave it alone and not ruin the surprise.

"It seems she's cautious of us…" Yusuke said.

"Hey, why don't we go upstairs? If any customers come, she'll be even more afraid," Makoto said to the group.

"Why don't you go with them, Futaba? Have fun. It's about time my regulars show up anyway, so I don't want you guys loitering around my store," Sojiro said to Yu's students.

"In other words, it's time for his favorite drama and he wants to watch it in peace before the elderly couple demands that he puts it back on the news," Yu said with a grin.

"You know…I'm going to kick you out," Sojiro said.

He could tell Sojiro was struggling not to smile.

"And yet, I 'm still here," He said.

"Man, adults are strange," Ryuji said as he moved out of the booth and started to make his way upstairs

"Boss and Sensei have a very interesting dynamic. It's like watching a tennis match," Yusuke added as he followed Ryuji. Makoto got up as well and followed the duo up the stairs.

"I mean, I think that's their way of being nice to each other," Ann said as she got up and headed up the stairs.

Ren followed up them up the stairs with Futaba following closely behind.

He glanced at Sojiro for a moment and Sojiro glanced back. They burst out laughing.

"Ah, kids, these days," Sojiro said with a chuckle.

"Never a dull moment."

"Never."

Yu felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to see a text from Makoto saying that she will tell him what happened with Futaba later. He texted her back a thumbs up.

The door rang again as the elderly couple came in.

"Good morning, Boss. Good morning, Yu-chan. It is good to see you so rested. You are such a busy young man," the elderly woman said as she patted his arm when she passed by. She took a seat in the booth closer to the tv.

"Thank you. Good morning to you as well," He said with a smile.

Her husband grumbled a hello before sitting across from her.

"The normal?" Sojiro asked the couple.

"Of course," The woman said. Sojiro nodded and went to work. Few minutes later, the couple had a fresh cup of coffee in front of them.

On the tv, the commercials had ended and the reporter announced their first guest.

"The fact that there were no damages due to the hackers' action is but an afterthought. The issue I want to make clear is the attitude of the police, and more importantly, the government," The familiar voice of Shido said on the tv.

He glanced over at Sojiro when he made a noise, and made a mental note to ask about that later.

"What do you mean?" The reporter asked.

"Are they doing their best to find an effective countermeasure against these Phantom Thieves? Is it not the government's duty to create a society where its citizens can live without worry? Unfortunately, the current cabinet is powerless. As such, they should be disbanded. I believe now is the time for me to risk my political career in hope of making a new reality. A new political system that goes beyond parties or factions…An ideal country of peace and order…" Shido responded.

Yu almost shook his head in disgust. That man doesn't want peace or order.

Shido wanted a directorship with him as the head.

"This politician seems quite promising," The elderly man said.

"I have to agree. I hope he can work to ease the anxieties of the elderly," The elderly woman responded back.

"What do you think, Boss?" The elderly man asked Boss.

"Hm? Oh sorry, I wasn't listening," Sojiro said as he turned his attention to the elderly couple.

Sojiro could have fooled them but not him. Sojiro was listening and disagreed with Shido.

"Tsk," The elderly man said.

"And you, Yu-chan? You are the future of this country after all. I can imagine order would help you in your daily life," The elderly woman asked him.

"Peace and order would be lovely, but I like to follow my own path and not the one someone laid out for me. It would take fun out of life if someone did that," He said honestly.

Sojiro's eyes widen slightly at his response.

The elderly woman shook her head.

"Oh, I remember those thoughts when I was that young. Dear, you remember that time in…" The elderly woman reminisced to her husband.

Sojiro moved back behind the counter and nodded his head toward him.

Yu nodded back in understanding.

-P5P5P5P5-

Once he was done with his coffee and outside of the café, he pulled out his phone and laughed softly at all the text messages from his students.

 _Ryuji: Man, she isn't talking._

 _Yusuke: She keeps eating. I wonder if she will share._

 _Makoto: We are just repeating ourselves at this point._

 _Ann: I don't think that she is paying attention to us, Sensei._

Then he got another text with a parrot emoji. He sent her a pleading face emoji then she sent him a party pooper emoji. He grinned as he put his phone away and a familiar black car pulled up with Theo jumping out. Rushing over to the other side, Theo opened the passenger door for him.

"Thank you, Theo," He said as he slipped into the car.

"You're welcome, Master," Theo said as he closed the door behind him and moved back to his original seat.

"How did everything go?" Theo said as the car started to move.

"Futaba is up and about. The situation with Medjed has been handled," He said.

"Wonderful."

"We might also want to keep an eye on Masayoshi Shido."

Theo frowned slightly.

"Is there a reason?"

"His little speech this morning rose a lot of red flags for me."

"I will look into the matter."

"Thank you. Anything I should know about?"

"Your meeting with Kunikazu Okumura and his daughter is this morning. Oh, and you have a working lunch with the board, but your evening is free. I plan to keep it that way," Theo said as he opened his planner and looked through it.

Yu chuckled.

"What are we having?"

"Tacos!"

Yu felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out, laughing at more texts and emojis.

 _Ren: She won't tell us a thing._

 _Ann: Each day, we are going to spend time with Futaba-chan! Wanna to come? Oh, we are going to the beach! You're coming too! I won't take no for an answer. I'll make sure Theo knows!_

 _Yusuke: Art! Stars! Park! All of these fantastic places to take Futaba._

 _Ryuji: Man, this is a mess._

Theo leaned over for a better view when Yu held out his phone screen to him.

"Futaba is a little bit of shut in. Since she is their newest member, they are trying to help her adjust to them," He explained.

"Hermit arcana then?" Theo asked.

"Mostly likely."

Then he got a pleading emoji from Futaba. He sent back a pondering face emoji. Few seconds later, a beach with an umbrella appeared. He gave her a thumb up emoji.

"Apparently, Futaba is nervous about the beach."

"I see, Ms. Ann has invited you as well. You've had no time to yourself after your return from Inaba. Your lack of sleep and headaches have been troubling, Master. You have to do something about the persona in your head," Theo said.

Yu sighed.

Coupled with the unknown persona, he still had mixed feelings about Adachi's death much like his friendship with the man. Part of him felt relief, another part grief, and an overall sense of hopelessness. His uncle and his friends reassured him that there was nothing that could be done.

While he couldn't prove anything, "It would be awkward for me to hang out with my students, but thank you for thinking of me."

Theo frowned for a moment then his eyes light up.

"Ms. Nanako and Mr. Dojima can come. It would be a family vacation. Yes, yes. Let me contact them right away. I must schedule your day to able to help Ms. Futaba."

He laughed softly as Theo eagerly pulled out his phone.

"You're coming too."

Theo sighed.

"I burn, Master. My sisters took me to the beach once. I burned so badly. Luckily, Margaret took pity on me and put this green stuff on my body to make it better. It was like that for several days."

That would be something Elizabeth would do.

"Well, sunscreen, glasses, and a straw hat on the list for you."

"Sunscreen?"

"You won't burn with it on."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Master. Very well! I will join as well!" Theo said eagerly.

Yu laughed at Theo's excitement as he started to work. He picked up his phone again from his lap and shook his head.

 _Ann: Shopping? Maybe for some bathing suits?_

 _Yusuke: I need something to engage her mind. Oh…._

 _Ryuji: I'm just going to take her to get some ramen. People and food in one place. Bang. Done._

 _Makoto: I think that they're going to go overboard, Sensei._

Then he got a fearful face emoji from Futaba. He sent back an okay hand emoji then he added a zombie.

She sent back a mage emoji.

Slowly, the car came to a stop. Instantly, Theo got out of the car and opened the door for him. He slipped out of the car to see Mr. Okumura and Haru waiting for him.

"Hello, Mr. Okumura," He said with a slight bow.

"Hello, Mr. Narukami," Mr. Okumura said with a bow.

Poor Haru looked a little lost.

He sighed. This will be a long day.

End of The Recovery

Next Chapter: The Wild Card

A/N: I didn't know our shadow friends would divide you guys so much. Well, guess what? They are here (for now). Yes, Futaba and Yu communicate in emojis. Don't ask me why. It just amuses me. I totally agree with my reviewers about Akechi. You almost see him pull an Adachi (I got those vibes when rewatching the Akechi/Thieves fight). I will keep this note short because I will be introducing the titles for the next chapters. Thank you again for wonderful support with reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. I love it.

Next Chapters:

43\. The Wild Card

44\. The Beach Trip

45\. The Secret Base

46\. The Chains (Break in Play)

47\. The Name Game

48\. The Tippy Point

49\. The Conversations We Have When You Aren't Around (Break in Play)

50\. The Might of The Sword


	43. The Wild Card

Catch-22: The Wild Card

By: M14Mouse

Summary: It was Yu's day to hang out with Futaba. No one dies and nothing blows up.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

No beta this time! She will be back after exams make her head go boom!

When you allow yourself to be unpredictable, you step from the known into the unknown, where anything is possible.-Deepak Chopra

For next couple of days, Yu's phone was fill with text messages and emojis.

 _Ren: Well, that didn't go as planned._

 _Yusuke: Her action figures are posed beautifully. They were dancing through the air. I wonder if she will let me draw them._

 _Ren: She did take off the huge mask off her head._

 _Makoto: I know but will she do it tomorrow with Ann and Ryuji?_

He got a face with stream from its nose emoji followed by a pile of poo.

The next day….

 _Ren: She can eat. I give her that._

 _Ann: She talks pretty normal and she told Ryuji off, Sensei._

 _Ryuji: Man, she is mean._

 _Ren: And she took her mask off again._

 _Futaba: :cookie: :donut: :cookie: :donut:_

The next day, he was treated to spoon and fork emojis followed coffee emojis.

 _Ren: She didn't break any dishes._

 _Ren: But the mask came back on as soon as she served a customer._

 _Ren: And…she nearly gave the poor guy a heart attack._

The third day was followed by swim suit emojis.

 _Ann: We got her a swimsuit, Sensei! She looks so pretty._

 _Makoto: Ann has a really good eye._

 _Ann: Kanji-san would be so proud!_

 _Futaba: :life saver: :life saver:_

The fourth day, he arrived at the café with Ryuji and Yusuke waiting outside.

"Hey, Sensei," Ryuji greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Sensei," Yusuke said.

"Good afternoon. So, what do you two have planned today?" He asked.

"I thought about eating together since all of us are going to beach together," Ryuji said.

"Sounds like a plan. Shall we…I go and harass Sojiro?"

Ryuji scratched the back of his head and gave him a confused look.

"Man…I don't get you two."

"You aren't supposed too. Let's go inside," He said with a smile.

Ryuji mumbled softly about adults as the group goes inside. Sojiro seemed busy with quite a few customers. The group slipped into one of the booths. Few minutes later, Futaba and Ren came down the stairs.

"Hey," Ren said as he slipped into the seat across from them.

Futaba looked at them then at the table as she slipped into the seat after Ren. She pulled her legs to her chest and watched them.

"So, I was thinkin we hang out and eat since we are going to beach and everything," Ryuji said.

"That sounds like a good idea. Were you able to get off?" Ren said.

"Yes, you will get to meet my little sister and my uncle. She is a little younger than Futaba-chan but I have a feeling that they will get along well. She is a huge fan of Featherman as well," He said with a smile.

Nanako was so excited when she heard that they were going to the beach. Even if his uncle was mumbling about it, he could tell his uncle was excited too.

By the expression on her face, he has peak Futaba's interest.

"Really?" Futaba said.

"Yup. She doesn't have all of them but she has her favorite figures. I want to say that it is a red and the yellow one."

"I haven't met her and I know that she has excellent taste."

"I thought that you had a cousin. I didn't think that you have a baby sister?" Ren said in confusion.

"She is my cousin but she started calling me "big bro" when I lived with them. So, it stuck."

"Oh."

"That sounds rather nice. I look forward to meeting them," Yusuke said to him.

He smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ryuji get uncomfortable in his seat.

"Ryuji, is something wrong?"

Ryuji leaded over and whispered to him.

"Does they know about…this?"

"No on your activities. Yes, on the personas and shadows. My uncle has come across some cases of Apathy Syndrome during his work as a detective. It wasn't until sometime later, he knew the full extent of our journey into the tv world. I might have a few lectures on my well-being and stop doing stuff to get myself killed. Why? Does someone else know about you?"

Ryuji shook his head.

"No. No! Mom just picked up on how tried I am after our runs into whatever. I kept saying that I took up running again. I think that she knows that I'm lying, Sensei."

"You're terrible lair," Yusuke pointed out.

"I agree with Inari," Futaba said in agreement.

"HEY!"

He chuckled.

"If your mother is too worried, I can talk to her if you wish. My presence seemed smooth Ann's parents and Makoto's sister worries."

"I might have you do that," Ryuji said with a nod.

"How did your uncle react when he found out?" Ren asked.

"He was angry then he was worried then he was angry and worried. He stared to connect the dots. I could see it in his face as he realized why I was so tired on some days. Why some days I came home with some bruise and cut. I think that he was more upset that he couldn't protect me."

"So…you guys don't get hurt in the cognitive world?" Futaba asked.

His students shook their heads no.

"Mostly, we are tired, sore, and bruises but nothing more," Ren answered.

Futaba looked to him in awe.

"And now, I figured out why they call you Sensei. You are a badass ninja."

"I thought that I was a knight."

"Nah….you are a ninja."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Onto more an impressive topic, congratulations, Ryuji. It seems that your persona has level up."

Ryuji flushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"How…did…never mind, you know everything."

"Lilim told me. She was impressed. Although, Black Frost was disappointed that he didn't have the chance to ride the ship. He might take a chance on that cloud later."

Ryuji started to laugh.

Futaba turned to him with a curious expression on her face.

"Personas can change?"

"Yes, people can change…why not their personas?"

"Well, I don't want her to change." She said with a pout.

"She won't change if you don't want her too. I know a few persona users who still have their original personas."

"But…he is stronger than ever and so I am. It's kinda of awesome," Ryuji added.

"That would be very interesting thing to look forward too. I almost look forward to see what mine look like but partly, I'm afraid," Yusuke said.

"You know it. It is kind of scary but it also kind of clicked when he charged."

"Well, she isn't changing," Futaba added.

He glanced over Ren, who was strangely quiet and looking down at the table.

Hmm…

"Ren?" He said.

Ren's head jerked up at the sound of his name.

"Sorry, Sensei. Just thinking."

He smiled.

"About?"

"Mine is gone. I have the others and they are stronger but still…he is kind of gone."

"Who said that he is gone for good? Wild card personas do change. It is a different transition than those with one persona."

Ren frowned.

"You know, you know a lot about this," Futaba said to him.

"I should. It's kind of my job."

"Point taken."

"But back to the topic at hand, your other personas acquire have charged as well, correct?" He said.

"Well…yes, they have gotten stronger and kind of sort work together now? I explained that terribly, sorry," Ren mumbled as running his hand through his hair.

"No, it makes sense. By the company's definition, Wild Card is the ability to have and use multiple personas. I disagree."

"What is it to you, Sensei?" Yusuke asked.

"I will answer that in a moment. Question first, why do you negotiate with a particular shadow?"

"I don't know. I'm always trying to get stronger for the team. Sometimes, I think that they look neat and I want to see what they will say. Some of their responses are hilarious. Sometimes, I see myself in them."

He beamed at Ren.

"That's correct. The ability to see yourself in those shadows but in turn, they see themselves in you. That is how they remember who they are, willing to join you, and willing to grow with you."

Ren just stared at him for a moment.

"Are you sure you aren't a wild card? Because you sure know a lot about this ability," Futaba asked.

"Man, if Sensei was a wild card like Ren, we will be dead," Ryuji added.

"I agree. Sensei would able to beat us into neat little piles while having tea. It would be a beautiful sight to see Sensei's personas in action but we will be dead," Yusuke said.

"You didn't see Sensei the first time. He fought without a persona. If he had multiple ones, we were been dead and disbanded before you know it," Ren added.

Futaba gave him a look but he just smiled.

"Are you guys done yapping? You need to order something or get out," Sojiro said from the counter.

He turned to Sojiro and grinned.

"CURRY!" Futaba shouted.

"Trying to kick me out again, Sojiro? I'm disappointed in you."

"You will be the first one out the door."

He beamed.

"Never."

End of The Wild Card

Next Chapter: The Beach Trip

A/N: And now we rank up to Rank 4. Whoa! Keep on smiling, Yu. Futaba is on to you…kind of. I am so proud of you guys. You guys are starting to connect the dots with Haru's dad. Good job! As for Royal, my distant plans are to do a remix of sorts. It will spin off into a separate story. Because like you, I want the counselor and Yu to meet. Chapter 50 is coming and expect a big surprise! That is all. Thank you again for the reviews and the support! Read and Review if you wish.


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